Bleach: The Depth Of The Bonds
by MrLotus
Summary: Ichigo was disgraced when he couldn't save his friends from Tsukishima, so he decided to live in Soul Society, but while he is still grieving can Rukia help heal his wounds? Prequel to Bleach: The Knots That Bind... Ichiruki and two other pairings later
1. Having Lost Everything Important

**Chapter 1: Having Lost Everything Important**

"Why?" In the end that was all Ichigo could ask himself. "Why did they target me? Was their lust for power really that important that they were willing to destroy me?" He would wonder as he remembered the events not yet a month beforehand.

"Ichigo give it a rest." Rukia stated as she looked up from her desk to see the same sorrowful look in Ichigo's eyes. "I know that you're still dwelling on what happened, but we can't change the past. You need to move on." She continued.

Upon hearing that Ichigo once again gritted his teeth. He hated hearing that no matter how true it was. Shukuro Tsukishima had taken everything from him before he died, and now Ichigo could no longer bear to stay in the world of the living. "I just don't understand why they went to such lengths… They didn't need to play me like a fool… Did they?" He wondered as he sat up. He had counted the days and already it had been twenty-seven since he left the world of the living behind. He hated himself now, he had not foreseen Tsukishima to be the danger that he turned out to be, and his lack of perception therein cost him his friends and may as well have cost him his life. The only solace he could find was that Rukia had arrived and restored his powers thereby unintentionally giving him a place to flee to.

"I said knock it off!" Rukia shouted as she threw an ink well at Ichigo causing the ink to fly everywhere.

"Rukia… Was I wrong to leave? Do you think they'd forgive me if I apologized?" Ichigo finally broke his silence.

"Ichigo, I am fully aware of what that man's powers were capable of, Byakuya is still mourning the loss of his so-called friend, but he had the will to show you the respect you deserve. If our friends back in the world of the living could not place your bond over his then they obviously didn't treasure that bond as much as they should have." Rukia explained, but her words were like a bitter pill to swallow.

"You know, I was only months away from graduating from high school. Orihime and I were going to attend the same college, but now…" Ichigo trailed off as tears began to well up in his eyes. "Did you know that Orihime was in love with me?" He asked and Rukia looked over at him with a shocked look on her face. "Yeah, Tatsuki told me a month ago that she had loved me for a long time… I was planning on asking her out at graduation but then I guess life has a funny way of working out." He added as he stared up at the ceiling.

"You keep sounding like you've given up and are simply going through the motions of your existence. It's not like you to be so depressed." Rukia replied as she finished the last of her paperwork. "I swear between you and Byakuya something's got to change. Now I'm done with the paperwork so once I turn these into Captain Ukitake we can leave for the day." She finished as she left the room.

After leaving the offices of Squad Thirteen Ichigo and Rukia went to see Yamamoto. "Ichigo, Lieutenant Kuchiki, welcome." Sasakibe greeted them when they entered the Squad One barracks.

"We've come to see if Ichigo's been cleared for a squad placement." Rukia replied as the two approached Yamamoto's desk.

"No, Central Forty-Six is still deliberating the matter, I believe it may take another couple of days before they have reached a decision." Yamamoto replied.

"Thank you sir." Rukia replied with a bow, and Ichigo bowed as well. "I can't believe they still haven't cleared you for placement yet!" She shouted after leaving the barracks of Squad One. "You've been here nearly a month, your physical body must have quit by now, so why do they keep dragging their feet?" She asked with a raised voice.

"You got me on that one." Ichigo replied. Strangely enough whenever Ichigo thought of how his physical body might already be dead it brought him a small bit of peace, yeah it would mean that he could no longer go back to his old life, but to him it was a pipedream anyway.

"So which squad do you want to join?" Rukia asked as they proceeded to head back to the Kuchiki Manor.

"Um which one is that one girl Momo in?" Ichigo asked as they passed a few Soul Reapers enjoying the nice spring afternoon.

"Momo Hinamori is in Squad Five." Rukia replied.

"Ok yeah definitely not that squad… Hmm I don't want to have to refer to Byakuya as Captain Kuchiki so Squad Six is out. What about Squad Nine?" Ichigo asked.

"Well the previous captain was Kaname Tosen, but there aren't many in the squad who worshipped him like the members of Squad Five worshipped Aizen. It might actually be an alright fit, I don't see you getting harassed for autographs in that squad." Rukia explained with a chuckle.

"Thank god, those requests have always been annoying. It'll be nice once everyone gives it a rest." Ichigo replied as they entered the mansion of a house that was the Kuchiki Manor.

"I can imagine… Ichigo I'm going to make some tea would you care for some?" Rukia asked.

"Oh, yes please." Ichigo replied. He never really used to drink much tea but the tea Rukia made completely changed his opinion of it. "I'm surprised your brother isn't home yet, he usually gets here long before we do." He pointed out as he sat down at the kitchen table while Rukia began to prepare the tea.

"That's because Captain Ukitake actually felt well enough to do some of the paperwork leaving not nearly as much for me to do." Rukia explained.

"So are you going to work on your jinzen training again today?" Ichigo asked as Rukia took a seat at the table.

"No I think I'll take it easy today and relax… Oh wait shoot I forgot there's a meeting today." Rukia blurted out.

"A lieutenant's meeting this late in the day?" Ichigo asked but Rukia shook her head.

"No I'm part of an organization called the Soul Reaper Women's Association, and our president Yachiru Kusajishi scheduled a meeting for this evening to watch the cherry blossoms while eating candy. Though usually she eats all of the candy which is why Nanao Ise usually brings real food for everyone else." Rukia explained.

"Wait Yachiru Kusajishi… Why does that name sound… Wait you mean your president is that little girl that is always with Kenpachi?" Ichigo asked while trying his hardest not to laugh.

"Yeah why?" Rukia asked innocently.

Upon hearing her reply Ichigo tried to resist the urge, but he ultimately failed. "That's got to be more pathetic than your lame drawings." He blurted out prompting Rukia to kick him in the shin.

"You were saying?" Rukia asked.

"I think I'll be shutting up now." Ichigo replied as he rubbed his leg.

"Oh that reminds me, there's a Soul Reaper Men's Association, but if you want my opinion it's not worth the time it takes to say the name, still I won't hold it against you if you'd like to join them." Rukia stated.

"Uh yeah I think I'll pass, if that little pink fairy is the president of the women's association, I'd hate to find out who the president of the men's association is." Ichigo replied.

"I think it's Tetsuzaemon Iba, but I'm pretty sure Captain Ukitake is a member." Rukia replied.

"Yeah once again I think I'll pass." Ichigo replied as Rukia got up to get the tea.

"Well there are other groups you could join. My brother is the chairman of the Calligraphy Club if you'd be interested in that." Rukia explained.

"Calligraphy Club?" Ichigo asked with a look of skepticism on his face. "There's a club for practicing calligraphy?" He asked as Byakuya entered the kitchen.

"Yes, and it is quite relaxing. I could let you join, all you need to do is ask." Byakuya stated.

"Uh, we'll get back to that, but are there any others?" Ichigo asked. He didn't sound the least bit interested in a club that had only men, but the idea of the calligraphy club did have the appeal of seeming somewhat peaceful.

"Well there's the Tea Ceremony Club. It is run by Captain Yamamoto, and I am also a member of that club as well." Byakuya explained.

"Hmm, I guess that one would be pretty good too. Can you put in a good word with the old man for me to join?" Ichigo asked.

"Very well I will speak to him, other than the three of us will be Retsu Unohana and Chojiro Sasakibe." Byakuya explained.

"Wait are you seriously going to join the Tea Ceremony Club?" Rukia asked.

"Well I don't know when Central Forty-Six will place me in a Squad, might as well do something to keep myself from going out of my mind with boredom." Ichigo replied before taking a sip of his tea.

"Come to think of it, he only ever seems down about what happened when he's not doing anything, maybe if he did join a group here he would focus less on them and he could get over it faster." Rukia thought. "Byakuya I would like to join the Tea Ceremony Club as well!" She declared confidently. "This way I'll be able to monitor him more closely." She thought.

"Very well, Captain Yamamoto will be pleased to have two more members to our club." Byakuya stated with a smile.

That night Ichigo was yet again plagued by nightmares of the friends he had been robbed of, and on a number of occasions he had woken up violently. "I don't know how long I can go on like this." He thought as he checked the time on the wall clock. "Four-thirty… At this rate I'll never get a good night's sleep." He thought as he rolled back over to get more rest.

The following morning he once again accompanied Rukia to the Squad Thirteen barracks. "Thanks for coming with me again Ichigo." She stated, but Ichigo remained silent as he remembered his dream.

"Why did they have to be influenced by Tsukishima?" Ichigo thought before Rukia hit him in the back of the head. "Ouch what was that for?" He asked in a raised voice.

"I thought I told you to stop doing that." Rukia replied. "They were Renji's and my friends too and you don't see us getting all moody do you?" She asked, but Ichigo could only look away in shame.

"It's different… You weren't disgraced to the point you had to leave your home…" Ichigo replied but his choice of words prompted yet another kick from Rukia.

"You fool! I told you to stop that didn't I?" Rukia asked.

"It's a little easier said than done don't you think? You don't know what it's like to have someone you like hate you." Ichigo replied but then his eyes widened. "Come to think of it, who do you like Rukia?" He asked causing Rukia to jump at the sudden intrusion into her very personal life.

"It's none of your business who I like!" Rukia replied as she started blushing.

"Oh come on I told you that I like Orihime the least you could do is tell me who you like." Ichigo reasoned, but Rukia was too stunned to respond. "Hmm, is it Renji by any chance?" He asked with a cocky smirk.

"Tell me you're joking." Rukia replied with an expression that appeared less than amused.

"Well then it must be that Sentaro guy right?" Ichigo asked.

"That's even less amusing." Rukia replied as she glared at Ichigo who's smirk grew even bigger.

"Right you seem like you would be into the strong hero type right? I bet you like Hanataro Yamada!" Ichigo exclaimed and Rukia shot him an evil death glare of doom for his joke. "Well I can go on to name a long list of people. For instance Captain Kenpachi." He added and Rukia kicked him again.

"This isn't funny you moron!" Rukia shouted.

"Well I can obviously tell it isn't me, those kicks hurt almost as much as my eyes after seeing one of your drawings." Ichigo stated nonchalantly and once again Rukia gave him a painful kick before running off leaving him crippled in the middle of the street. "God what's her problem, I thought she wanted me to lighten up." He thought as he rubbed the newly forming bruises on his legs. "Ouch, man she kicks like a guy!" He thought as he winced in pain.

Further ahead Rukia had been fighting back tears until she was in her office and she finally broke down. "I don't understand, why am I so bothered?" She wondered as she silently sobbed. "Why should I care what he thinks?" She asked herself.

"You got into a fight with someone didn't you?" Kiyone asked from the desk and Rukia's face went a deep shade of red.

"Kiyone, what are you doing in here?" Rukia asked as she quickly wiped her tears away.

"I came to talk about squad stuff, but that can wait. What happened?" Kiyone asked.

"Well, I don't really know. First I was walking with Ichigo, and then I was yelling at him for being mopey, and then before I knew it I was being interrogated for information into my l-love life." Rukia explained.

"Hmm, can you go into specifics the explanation you gave me is kind of vague I mean, I'm not some twelve to thirteen year old girl reading a romance series and know everything about the female protagonist." Kiyone explained and she cocked her head and one of her eyebrows at the thought of the description she just gave.

"Um, well he wanted to know who I liked, first he asked if it was Renji, then asked if it was Sentaro of all people, and then Hanataro, and also Kenpachi Zaraki, but when I told him no to all of them, he said that based on how short I was getting with him that it couldn't possibly be him, and I don't know I just sort of hit him and ran off. I was upset and I had to get away from him." Rukia explained not noticing the satisfied grin slowly spreading across Kiyone's face as she went on with her explanation. "Ugh, what is wrong with me?" She asked out loud.

"Rukia, I think you like Ichigo." Kiyone replied with a chuckle.

"What? Don't joke like that because it isn't funny!" Rukia shouted as Ichigo finally showed up.

"Rukia why'd you run off like that I was only joking around back there with those comments about who you like. You didn't need to haul off and kick me like you did." Ichigo stated, but before he could say anything else he received a very hard elbow to the face from Rukia that knocked him to the floor.

"Ichigo you shouldn't sneak up on people!" Rukia shouted with a glare.

"But you had to know I was there, it took at least five seconds for me to say that, even your reaction time isn't that horrible." Ichigo stated.

"Kiyone can you toss me that calligraphy brush?" Rukia asked.

"Uh okay…" Kiyone replied and she did what she was told, but Rukia made no attempt to catch it until seven seconds after it fell to the floor.

"You've got to be joking." Ichigo blurted out as a knock sounded at the door.

"Come in." Rukia called out, and Chojiro Sasakibe entered the room.

"Captain Yamamoto would like to see Ichigo, but he's not at the Kuchiki Manor, Lieutenant Kuchiki do you know where he might be?" Sasakibe asked.

"I'm down here." Ichigo called up from his spot on the floor. "Yo." He stated nonchalantly from his position when Sasakibe looked down on him.

"Yes um quite… Captain Yamamoto would like to see you, please come with me." Sasakibe replied as he left the room with Ichigo following close behind.

"So what does he want to see me about?" Ichigo asked as they left the Squad thirteen barracks.

"Well he wouldn't go into details but it's variable good news." Sasakibe replied.

"Variable good news? What the hell's that supposed to mean?" Ichigo asked.

"It means that directly depending on how you take it, it will be either good news or bad news. It depends on how you take it." Sasakibe stated.

"You know I remember where I knew you from, you're one of the three lieutenants whose asses I kicked back on Sokyoku Hill when I rescued Rukia, aren't you?" Ichigo asked and Sasakibe couldn't help but blush from embarrassment of his miserable failure from that day. "Sorry about that but I was kind of doing something important, I hope you didn't take it personally." He stated.

"Given the gravity of the betrayal while it was not your intention you attempted to thwart Aizen's schemes, so it's been excused as far as I'm concerned, and Isane Kotetsu isn't one to hold a grudge, the one you should convince is the Squad Two Lieutenant Omaeda." Sasakibe replied as they entered the Squad One barracks.

"Ichigo thank you for coming. I'm sure you must be curious as to why I've called you down here. Well Central Forty-Six has approved the decision to place you in a squad of your choosing however… I will not allow you to be placed until you are cleared by Captain Unohana of having any psychiatric deficiencies." Yamamoto called forth.

"I… I understand." Ichigo replied.

"What, you're taking this surprisingly well." Sasakibe blurted out.

"Well it's to be expected, I mean I want to be in a squad but I don't want to hold that squad back by any issues I may have, and after what happened with the fullbringers it's expected that there could be something wrong. Besides I was actually planning on seeing Unohana about this matter anyway. So it all works out." Ichigo explained before Yamamoto dismissed him.

When Ichigo made it over to the Squad Four barracks he was immediately taken to Unohana. "Welcome Mr. Kurosaki it's been a while. How are you today?" Unohana asked with her usual caring smile.

"Well I came to see you for a psychiatric evaluation, and I guess a physical check up wouldn't hurt anything." Ichigo replied with a calm smile.

"That's very nice Ichigo, but I didn't ask you why you've come to see me, I asked you how you've been." Unohana replied with the same smile.

"Well I've not been doing so well." Ichigo admitted as he took a seat on a recliner that was placed in front of Unohana's desk.

"Tell me about that. Why haven't you been doing well?" Unohana asked as she pulled out a notepad and a pen.

"Well, I guess it all started when I lost my spiritual powers. I guess I was fine without them at first I mean yeah I missed Rukia and Renji among a few other Soul Reapers, but it was nice to have a normal spirit-free life for a change." Ichigo explained and Unohana began to write on the notepad.

"Go on…" Unohana spoke up.

"Oh, um, right, well I guess the normal life started to eat away at me after a while, I didn't really notice until just six months ago on the anniversary of the Winter War, but I wasn't satisfied… No maybe it was more like I was unhappy without the presence of spirits in my life. It felt like something was missing, and in school my friends that fought with us in the war would often leave suddenly. Of course I knew they were going to fight hollows and on a number of occasions I felt a strong desire to want to go with them." Ichigo explained.

"And did you ever try to go with them?" Unohana asked.

"No but there was one instance I almost did. It was about two and a half months ago and I had pulled an all-nighter to study for a big exam, but the next day in school as was normal I saw them leave to go fight a hollow and it was like I could almost feel the presence of the hollow, but I was really tired so it could be explained by a lack of sleep." Ichigo explained.

"Well what happened after that?" Unohana asked.

"Oh, well life still continued on as per the new usual until I met the fullbringers. They told me I could regain my powers if I learned their abilities, and how could I pass up the opportunity to get back into the fight. I was feeling pretty low that my friends and even my younger sister were risking their lives to protect me, so low that I felt if I couldn't protect them then I could at least fight beside them." Ichigo continued.

"So you took these people up on their offer?" Unohana asked.

"Of course I did, and they informed me that they were teaching me to use the power because they needed my help to defeat one of their own that had gone rogue. Shukuro Tsukishima." Ichigo stated with a hint of disgust in his tone of voice.

"So how long did it take you to learn the ability of fullbring?" Unohana asked.

"Is that really necessary for the evaluation?" Ichigo asked.

"It could be." Unohana replied as she wrote something down on the notepad. "Ichigo pay no attention to what I am writing and answer the question." She stated sternly.

"Oh, um, right… Well the training was going a bit to slow for their preferences so a little blond kid used his fullbring to send us into a pocket dimension where he was able to speed time up for us, and while it felt like several days in the dimension in reality it was only several minutes." Ichigo explained.

"Interesting, what happened after your training concluded?" Unohana asked.

"Well I left for the night, and the next time I saw Ginjo he was panic-stricken. He went on about how Tsukishima used his power to turn the other fullbringers against us, and so we went to a friend's house, but she had been influenced too, so we-" Ichigo was interrupted by Unohana.

"This friend that you say is a girl, were you romantically involved with her or did you have strong feelings for her at all?" Unohana asked.

"What? No!" Ichigo barked back.

"Interesting, you may proceed." Unohana replied.

"So we left my friend's place and went to my home, but Tsukishima had arrived their first. So upon realizing that he had influenced my friends and family at this point we went to an old safe house the fullbringers used incase of emergency, there one of them came to invite to a mansion in the middle of a forest, but when we arrived I attacked Tsukishima but my friend Orihime simply healed the wound I inflicted upon him." Ichigo explained as the usual look of sorrow covered his face.

"This girl Orihime, did you have a romantic relation with her?" Unohana asked, but Ichigo merely drooped his head lower as tears began to flow. "I see…" She uttered as she handed a box of tissues over to Ichigo.

"Thanks… A few days before that our friend Tatsuki had told me that Orihime liked me, and I guess the realization sparked feelings in my own heart… I was going to ask her to be my girlfriend when we graduated… But that future was stolen from me. Tsukishima had succeeded in turning everyone in the world of the living that I cared about against me. In the ensuing battle Ginjo was also struck by book of the end, and revealed that he had orchestrated everything. He had targeted me because I was once a substitute Soul Reaper, and he wanted the power I would obtain through fullbring, and he took it from me… That's when Rukia arrived with that sword that helped me to regain my powers, and I proceeded to kick his ass, while the other Soul Reapers present fought a fullbringer on their own, and Byakuya was the one to fight Tsukishima, and he defeated him, and I defeated Ginjo, while everyone essentially defeated their opponents." Ichigo explained.

"What happened next?" Unohana asked.

"Well with Tsukishima dead after scrambling away from us I expected my friends and family to return to normal, but… They didn't… I had made the mistake of hastily informing them of Tsukishima's death, and they hated me for it. Even in death the man had everything I held dear in my heart. I just don't understand why… The Soul Society was not concerned with the fullbringers until they began to move and take action, they could have lived their lives in peace, but due to their selfishness I lost several bonds that I'll never get back. Well naturally I felt isolated so when Rukia invited me here I couldn't refuse." Ichigo finished as tears formed a river down his cheeks.

"I see, and how would you describe your relationship with Miss Kuchiki?" Unohana asked.

"Well she means well by trying to tell me not to dwell on the past, but to say she's a bit abrasive with this subject would be an understatement. She's like a nurse that was insulted by her patient and decided to rip the bandages off as a form of punishment." Ichigo replied.

"I see, and how would you describe your friendship with Lieutenant Abarai?" Unohana asked.

"Well, it's kind of a cocky smack talking kind of friendship, we push each other to get stronger by insulting the other, it's not a perfect system but it works well enough." Ichigo replied.

"Interesting… Ok thank you for your cooperation, now we will do some word association, I'll say a word and I want you to say the very first thing that comes to your mind, do you understand?" Unohana asked as she pulled out a deck of cards from a drawer in her desk. "Alright let's begin, animal." She stated.

"Cat." Ichigo replied.

"Food." Unohana stated.

"Rice." Ichigo replied.

"Next is plant." Unohana stated.

"Grass." Ichigo replied.

"Ok tool." Unohana continued.

"Hammer." Ichigo replied.

"Color." Unohana continued.

"Violet." Ichigo replied.

"Up." Unohana stated.

"Moon." Ichigo continued.

"Grief." Unohana stated and this was the first time she looked up at Ichigo since she started the word association.

"Hollow." Ichigo replied as his eyes met hers.

"Pain." Unohana stated and again she looked up at Ichigo.

"Loss." Ichigo replied still staring her in the eye.

"Important." Unohana stated.

"Friend." Ichigo replied.

"Joy." Unohana read from the card.

"Protecting." Ichigo replied.

Normally Unohana would have stopped with just ten words, but seeing the next card she decided to continue. "Love." She stated with her warm smile.

"Ru-" Ichigo cut himself off. "What the hell was I about to say?" He wondered as his eyes widened while his face turned a deep shade of red. "Well if I change it now it might hurt my evaluation." He thought. "R-Rukia." He stated in a hushed tone almost at a whisper.

"That last one was a very interesting choice." Unohana stated with a light chuckle forcing Ichigo to blush even further. "Though I'm surprised, normally when I say the word love in this exercise someone usually says family or friends, lie or truth. Though you were completely honest about that, but that isn't what's important, it's is it true, and if so what kind of love is it?" She asked but Ichigo was too embarrassed to say anything. "Don't worry those last two questions aren't pertinent to your evaluation. Though I have come to a conclusion." She stated confidently.

"So what are my test results?" Ichigo asked as the color of his face began to revert back to normal.

"Well while I see no immediate harm in you being placed in a squad, you do appear to have trust issues and a recently developed pathological fear of losing those who are important to you. This could effect your ability to act with a level head, so while I will pass you to be placed in a squad, you will not be eligible for any promotions or missions for the time being, and I must insist that we have counseling sessions twice a week, on Tuesdays you will come here to see me from noon until two o'clock, and on Fridays you will meet with Isane from three o'clock unto four-thirty. Do those times fit your current schedule?" Unohana asked after her explanation.

"Uh yeah I guess so… Oh wait I'm joining the Tea Ceremony Club, so unless it conflicts with those times they should be fine." Ichigo stated.

"Oh it will be nice to see a new face, but don't worry the club meetings are usually later in the evening as a means to relax after a long day of work. I also want you to give this to which ever squad's captain you end up joining. Though Squads Three, Five, and Nine are currently out of the question until your evaluation produces better results. Which reminds me, I will evaluate you again each third of the month unless the third falls on a Wednesday at which point it will be held the day before, if you miss the evaluation you will have to wait until the following third to be reevaluated. Do you have any questions?" Unohana asked as she handed a note over to Ichigo.

"Well about that physical check up?" Ichigo asked.

"Oh yes I nearly forgot, however I have a meeting I must attend, so Hanataro will examine you, just wait one moment." Unohana stated before leaving the room, and a few moments later Hanataro entered wearing a white lab coat.

"Oh Ichigo how have you been, it's been quite a while huh?" Hanataro asked he opened a folder that had Ichigo's name on it.

"Yeah it has, Hanataro have you gotten taller?" Ichigo asked with an eyebrow cocked.

"Yeah nearly a foot since you had to save Rukia." Hanataro replied causing Ichigo to blush. "Huh what's wrong did I say something weird?" He asked.

"Let's just get on with the check up." Ichigo barked.

"Uh sure, first I'll need to check your vitals, this might feel a little cold, but when I tell you to I want you to take a deep breath." Hanataro stated, and after a minute he had finished the first test. "Well your lungs are healthy to say the least. Now I must check your blood pressure. I just need to wrap this cuff around your biceps. Now you need to be still and quiet while I perform this test." He stated and once again he was finished after about a minute. "Good, your pulse is healthy and you have a safe blood pressure. Next I will test your blood sugar. I just need to prick your finger and take a sample of your blood for testing… Good it's at a safe level as well. Now finally I will need to check your ears, eyes, nose, and throat." He stated and within minutes he finished the check up. "Well Ichigo you're a picture of health." He finished.

"Wow those were the same tests I would have done if I made it through college to becoming a doctor." Ichigo pointed out.

"Really? Well maybe you should join Squad Four, we could use a medical expert like you in the squad, after all as they say it's never unhealthy to have too many doctors around." Hanataro replied.

"Thanks but I've already made my decision. I wanted to join Squad Nine, but Captain Unohana has forbade me from Squads Three, Five, and Nine. So I think I'll join Rukia's squad for the time being." Ichigo replied.

"Well if you ever change your mind you know where we are. With that we're all finished, see you around Ichigo." Hanataro stated.

"Yeah see you around." Ichigo replied before leaving the room and then the barracks.

By the time Ichigo made it to Squad Thirteen, he ran into Unohana once more as she was leaving the barracks. "So how did your check up go?" Unohana asked.

"Pretty good, aside from my mind I'm as healthy as they come… That meeting you had to get to was here at the Squad Thirteen barracks wasn't it?" Ichigo asked.

"Yes, unfortunately Ukitake's health isn't the greatest, but don't worry he still has many years ahead of him yet. Now you better get in there, I believe you have a request for the captain. You don't want him to get too exhausted to see you do you?" Unohana asked, and after they bid their goodbyes Ichigo went in to see the captain.

"Awe Ichigo what a pleasant surprise." Ukitake stated as he sat up in his bed. "What can I do for you?" He asked.

"Well sir, I was hoping I could join your squad. I don't expect any special treatment for my past deeds just put me wherever you have room for me." Ichigo stated firmly.

"Oh, well as it turns out our fifth seat is currently vacant, that is if you don't want it." Ukitake replied with a caring smile similar to Unohana's.

"Really, I mean I don't know much about the squads, but isn't a low-numbered seat a big deal?" Ichigo asked as his eyes widened.

"Don't worry about it, I would be honored to have you take up my fifth seat." Ukitake stated as Rukia entered the room.

"Captain the paperwork is finished… Oh hey Ichigo what did Yamamoto want to see you about?" Rukia asked as she handed the paperwork over to Ukitake.

"Just one second Rukia… Captain I accept your offer, from this day forward I will hold your fifth seat." Ichigo stated and Rukia's eyes widened.

"You joined our squad? But what about Squad Nine?" Rukia asked as her eyes widened.

"Well in order to join a squad Yamamoto wanted me to undergo a psychiatric examination, but while I was cleared to go ahead and join a squad, I was not permitted to join Squads Three, Five, or Nine. That and until my mental condition improves I can't advance to a higher rank, and I am not permitted to go on missions to the world of the living. Though I get reevaluated every third of the month so that could change in as early as two weeks. Though as far as a promotion goes, being that this is my first squad I will not take anyone's place, should I be deserving of a promotion I'll transfer to another squad." Ichigo explained.

"Well we look forward to having you with us. Just don't let us down." Ukitake stated with a smile.

"That's right Ichigo, but don't worry you'll fit in here just perfectly." Rukia assured Ichigo.

"Great I look forward to working with everyone." Ichigo replied with a calm smile.

"Huh?" Rukia wondered after something caught her attention. "Maybe I was just imagining it, but it almost looked like that old fierce look of his was back… In time Ichigo you will overcome even this." She thought as they bid their captain farewell for the evening. "I bet Byakuya will approve." She stated as they left the barracks.

"What?" Ichigo asked in a flustered state. "Approve of what, I'm not thinking of doing anything." He stated nervously.

"What? I mean you being accepted into the squad at fifth seat… Why what were you thinking about just now?" Rukia asked as they walked down the street.

"Oh, nothing, I was just lost in my thoughts, but yeah I bet he'll approve too." Ichigo replied, but he couldn't help but think back to that last word in the association test. "Why _did _I say that?" He wondered, and the two remained silent as they continued back to the Kuchiki Manor.

Chapter 1 end - here it is the long awaited, okay more like just awaited prequel to my fic Bleach: The Knots That Bind. So what did y'all think? This time though you'll get no spoilers from future chapters, after all many of you who have read my first fic will try and guess how this will play out well only MrLotus knows for sure. Please I need REVIEWS I promise I'll respond to your reviews with a heartfelt message. By the way I will be working on this simultaneously as I work on two other fics, so a chapter a day will be posted (sometimes 2) but not likely for the same fic. Anyway thanks for reading my first chronological chapter. XD

(Shunpo to bed because putting out a chapter and 3/5 in one day is mentally taxing)

Disclaimer, I do not own bleach but I wish I did, Tite Kubo has created something of pure brilliance! Mad props Kubo-sama!


	2. Issues  With  Issues

**Chapter 2: Issues With Issues**

"Come on Ichigo you need to wake up!" Rukia shouted early on in the morning.

"Huh what?" Ichigo asked in a state of delirium as he rubbed his eyes.

"Squad duties begin at six-thirty, so you need to get up!" Rukia shouted back as she kicked Ichigo yet again.

"Huh what? Oh yeah I forgot all about that." Ichigo replied as he sat up in his futon.

"Well hurry up and get dressed, I don't want you to be late on your first day." Rukia replied before leaving the room.

When Ichigo made his way downstairs to the kitchen he was met with the sight of Byakuya having early morning hair issues. "What is it?" Byakuya asked sternly upon perceiving Ichigo's blank stares.

"Oh, it's nothing Byakuya." Ichigo replied, but his eyes widened when he felt the cold sharp edge of Senbonzakura against his neck. "Wait what are you doing?" He asked in a state of panic.

"I've tolerated your insolence for a time as you began to adjust to life in the Soul Society, though now that you are assigned to a squad you will address me as Captain Kuchiki. Do not forget this Ichigo." Byakuya explained with a cold yet piercing stare.

"Yes, my apologies Captain Kuchiki." Ichigo replied, though to Rukia it almost sounded as if Ichigo meant "I hope you choke on your breakfast you bastard".

"Thank you, now Rukia I would like you to run along, there are important things I need to discuss with Ichigo." Byakuya stated as he gave his sister a firm look.

"Um, okay, Ichigo you better not be late!" Rukia warned before leaving the house.

"Don't worry I won't… Now what did you want to say to me?" Ichigo asked as he narrowed his eyes on Byakuya.

Normally Byakuya would have taught a lower-ranking Soul Reaper a lesson in humility for acting arrogant toward him, but instead Byakuya merely pulled a folded up piece of paper from the pocket of his captain's coat. "Ichigo do you know what this is?" He asked but Ichigo only stared back at him. "These are the results of your psychiatric evaluation you underwent yesterday. I was given these by Captain Unohana due to the fact that I'm allowing you to live here, but I must question, what is this!" He asked in a raised voice as he pointed to the last answer Ichigo gave for his word association test, and Ichigo began to sweat bullets.

"Um, about that, well, uh…" Ichigo trailed off as he struggled to think of a way out of the house without being chased by cherry blossoms.

"Well is it true? Do you harbor feelings of desire toward my sister?" Byakuya asked as his eyes narrowed on Ichigo.

Ichigo thought quick for a second before he came up with a brilliant idea. "Bya- I mean Captain Kuchiki it's true that I love Rukia, but you misunderstand, it isn't a love of romantic interest, it's more like love between two friends… You see Rukia changed my life… Twice, and I'm grateful to her for that, but when I said that I love Rukia it was more in the context of her being an irreplaceable friend… The last one I have left from before unless you count Renji…" Ichigo replied, but Byakuya seemed convinced.

"Very well, but know this, should you and Rukia ever form a romantic connection, I will do everything in my power to keep her heart from breaking. If you two were to form a relationship, she will be the very last woman you ever devote yourself to. Do you understand?" Byakuya asked with a calm smile that instantly reminded Ichigo of Aizen.

"Y-yes, perfectly understood." Ichigo replied nervously. For the rest of the morning spent at the manor, the two remained in utter silence as they finished preparing themselves for work that day. While on his way to the Squad Thirteen barracks, Ichigo couldn't help thinking back to the psychiatric evaluation he had undergone the day before. "Is that all I meant by it?" He wondered as he entered the barracks. "Maybe I should look into staying at the barracks in the meantime… I wonder how long it will take Captain Stick-up-his-ass to forget about what happened." He thought as he entered Ukitake's office. "Fifth seat Ichigo Kurosaki reporting for duty!" He called out while raising his right hand.

"Oh Ichigo welcome…" Ukitake stated with a wheeze. "Truth be told you're a tad late, but don't worry, tardiness isn't an issue I have with the members of this squad." He reassured Ichigo.

"Great, so what's on the agenda for today Captain?" Ichigo asked with a bow.

"Same as usual, endless piles of paperwork." Ukitake replied as Kiyone and Sentaro busted into the office.

"Captain your loyal third seat Kiyone Kotetsu reporting for duty sir!" Kiyone exclaimed.

"No Captain! Your real loyal third seat Sentaro Kotsubaki is reporting for duty, your orders sir?" Sentaro asked with a glare at Kiyone.

"How can these two be so lively so early in the morning, I mean the sun hasn't even begun to rise yet." Ichigo reasoned in exasperation just before Kiyone hit Sentaro with a nasty kick. "Wait is this how Rukia and I are seen when we get into our arguments?" He wondered as he let out a deep sigh.

"As I've said today we will be doing more paperwork." Ukitake explained after Kiyone and Sentaro finished arguing.

"Hey wait, where's Rukia? Shouldn't she be in here as well?" Ichigo asked after noticing Rukia's absence.

"Well true, but when Miss Kuchiki arrived this morning Isane had come by to speak with her in private on a matter of great importance." Ukitake replied. "Still it's unusual for someone of Squad Four to come by for someone other than myself." He continued and Ichigo's eye twitched as the result of what he just heard.

"Why do I get a bad feeling things are about to get really complicated?" Ichigo wondered as he took a stack of papers before taking a seat on the floor next to Kiyone. "Hey, Kiyone, you and that Isane girl have the same last name, are you two related by any chance?" He whispered.

"Yes she's my sister, why? Are you interested?" Kiyone asked with a mischievous grin.

"Only in what she would need to speak to Rukia for…" Ichigo replied sidestepping the girl's obvious probe for information.

"Well she didn't really tell me anything about it. Sorry Ichigo but I can't help you… However, if I had someone else to do my work for me, I could go check it out." Kiyone replied with the same mischievous grin as before.

"No don't worry about it, I'm sure I'm just being paranoid." Ichigo replied before looking down at the first page of paperwork. "Hmm, Squad Ten requests a special training exercise with Squad Thirteen to improve teamwork between the squads… Approve or reject?" He read silently. "Excuse me Captain? Do I really have the authority to make decisions on the squad's behalf?" He asked as he showed the form to Ukitake.

"Just answer them the way you think would best suit our squad in correlation to the other squads." Ukitake replied.

"Right, okay approved. Next, Squad Eleven demands you send fifth seat Ichigo Kurasaki for a um, battle… They got my last name wrong…" Ichigo thought as he blankly stared down at the paperwork in front of him. "Yeah, rejected. Next, Squad Five requests the presence of fifth seat Ichigo Kurasaki for a personal recollection of events from his point of view as to the events at the end of the Winter War, please advise Kurosaki that he would be wise to bring his zanpakuto… Wait don't tell me…" He thought as he looked up and saw looks of frustration on everyone's faces. "Um, are you three getting any requests concerning me?" He asked nervously and Kiyone stood up and pointed at five piles of paperwork.

"In order of the tallest stack to the smallest, we have requests for sparring matches, requests for information from your point of view on various events, requests to transfer you to another squad, requests for admission into various after-hours club activities, and surprisingly requests to have you just come to boost a squad's morale. This is ridiculous I must've gone through at least one hundred pages and only three had nothing to do with you. I'd say deny everything you don't want to do, but of course you may want to double-check our responses." Kiyone explained as she glared at the five stacks of papers.

"You… You're joking right?" Ichigo asked as he began to feel dizzy.

"Well it seems as though you've become quite popular here in the Seireitei, and it appears that the information of you joining our squad has gotten out as well." Ukitake replied with a smile.

"Wow I had no idea there would be such an issue with the paperwork… Listen to this, unseated members of Squad Eight would like to invite Ichigo to the barracks so that… and I quote "we can look at his strong physique all day". This is getting disturbing, I almost feel like I shouldn't be seeing these requests." Ichigo explained after reading a request out loud.

"Wow that is disturbing, though I can see where they're coming from, you may be inclined to disagree but many see you as being strong and rather easy on the eyes from what I could gather." Sentaro chimed in. "Though we haven't received any requests for any one individual squad member in ages. Huh, check this one out, I request that Squad Thirteen's fifth seat, Ichigo Kurosaki be transferred to Squad Six, where I can keep a proper watch on him at all times lest he be compelled by whatever uncivilized delusion to become further acquainted in indecent manners with Lieutenant Rukia Kuchiki of the aforementioned squad, signed, Captain Byakuya Kuchiki of Squad Six. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! I can't believe he thinks you're gonna put the moves on Rukia… What would make him think that?" He asked as he wiped tears from his face as Kiyone struggled to stop laughing.

"For real, how did he get the impression that you had a thing for Rukia?" Kiyone asked.

"Ichigo I as well am curious, it's not everyday that we receive a message directly from a captain, let alone one that is of a rather personal nature. Please tell us." Ukitake chimed in.

"Fine!" Ichigo shouted. "It happened yesterday at my evaluation, Unohana and I had reached the step that required word association, and well the last word she gave me was a bit of a curveball and I happened to blurt out Rukia's name without thinking." He explained.

"And that caused this misunderstanding?" Ukitake asked, and Ichigo nodded.

"That was too vague, Ichigo as your superior officer I order you to go into more detail!" Kiyone demanded.

"Yeah, what was the word you associated Rukia with?" Sentaro asked and Ichigo began to blush.

"Fine! The last word she gave me was…" Ichigo paused as he began to shiver. "Oh come on who asks eleven word association questions anyway? The number is so random that it's ridiculous." He argued but he was unable to deter their interest as he looked around at the grins each of his superior officers were giving him. "Okay fine, but this can't get back to her… Unohana gave me the word love for the last word association question, and my first reaction was to say Rukia, there are you happy now?" He asked, but then he noticed a look of complete and utter surprise from his three superiors. "Is it really that shocking?" He asked, but then he noticed that they were alternating their glances between him and something that was just behind him, and he began to sweat as he thought of who would possibly be behind him. "Oh god please be anyone other than a Kuchiki." He silently begged as he painstakingly turned his head to find a short Soul Reaper with short black hair and violet eyes standing right behind him. "Okay I think I would rather it had been Byakuya…" He thought as he nervously turned back to facing forward. "If I ignore it, it will go away, if I ignore it, it will go away, if I ignore it…" His train of thought was interrupted when he received a stomp to the back of his head, just before hearing the door slam shut proceeded by the sound of footsteps bolting down a hallway.

"Whoa, did that just happen?" Sentaro asked weakly as he looked on at Ichigo laying flat on his face.

"Yeah I think it did, but for her to react in such a way…" Kiyone added on before trailing off.

"Kiyone I want you to track down Miss Kuchiki, Sentaro please take Ichigo to Squad Four. After both tasks are taken care of bring them both back here so that we can solve whatever problem could possibly arise from admitting one's own personal feelings. Do this now." Ukitake ordered.

"Yes Captain!" Kiyone and Sentaro replied in unison, before Kiyone rushed out the door followed shortly by Sentaro carrying a lifeless Ichigo.

"Ugh, I hope this doesn't cause any problems…" Ukitake thought as he picked the request from Byakuya up off of the floor before reading it. "Byakuya, child, without realizing it you may have just forced to happen what you wanted least to happen, whether it be a love of romantic interest or a bond of strong friendship… Things will surely have a very interesting outcome." He thought as he stamped the paper with the word "rejected".

"Sentaro quickly made it to Squad Four, and Ichigo was immediately admitted before Sentaro explained things to Unohana. "And now we're here." He finished as Ichigo remained unconscious in his hospital bed.

"Wow she knocked him out with just one kick? That's quite impressive for a lieutenant." Unohana stated as she opened Ichigo's eyes for a look. "Well we can't have him sleeping all day now." She stated as she pulled a syringe from a drawer of a desk in the room. "This should wake him right up." She continued before jamming the needle into Ichigo's jugular vein forcing him awake instantly.

"Ouch!" Ichigo screamed after Unohana removed the needle.

"Good you're awake, Sentaro was kind enough to inform me of the events surrounding your visit, but I would like to hear the story from you personally." Unohana stated.

"My apologies Captain Unohana ma'am but my captain has ordered me to return with Ichigo once he was awake." Sentaro spoke up.

"Oh, how disappointing… Oh well it will make for nice conversation material at our first counseling session." Unohana replied as she pulled out a bottle of pills from her pocket. "Here you will likely be suffering from a headache soon if you are not already, these will help ease the pain." She stated as she handed Ichigo the bottle of medicine. "Just don't exceed two capsules in a six hour time span. The effects of an over dosage could be catastrophic do you understand?" She asked and Ichigo nodded before getting discharged.

As the two men of Squad Thirteen slowly trekked back to their squad Ichigo broke the silence. "Ugh, why did she have to come in at the worst time possible?" He asked to no one in particular.

"I don't know, but man the look on your face was priceless." Sentaro replied with a chuckle as he tried to imitate the look that Ichigo had when he blurted out what he did.

"You say that now, but your face had a priceless look as well." Ichigo shot back as he made an over exaggerated expression of shock. "Though seriously, how do you think she took what she heard?" He asked as his face became somber.

"Well I think that much is obvious, Rukia probably believes you're head over heels for her now, but that's the truth isn't it?" Sentaro asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"You know I never thought about it before, but maybe it is." Ichigo thought as they continued walking. "Who knows, my head's been kind of hectic lately if you know what I mean. I'm honestly not sure about a lot of things anymore." He continued.

"That's nice, you see the world now the way Kaien did, he used to not be sure about a lot of things, but then he met Miyako and it's like to him everything made sense. I wish you would have had the chance to meet him, I'm sure you two would've gotten along great, but he died several years ago. It was very hard for Rukia to do it." Sentaro explained.

"Do what?" Ichigo asked out of curiosity.

"Well the way Kaien died, he had become possessed by a hollow, and to kill the hollow Rukia had to kill Kaien. It completely crushed the poor girl, she really respected and admired Kaien much like how I as well as the dork Kiyone admire Ukitake, just well she was very herself about it, you know?" Sentaro explained.

"I can imagine, I had heard about Kaien's death from Kukaku and Ganju, and that Rukia was involved, but I never knew the specifics… It must've been very hard for her." Ichigo reasoned.

"Yeah it was, for years she carried on, haunted by his death, never smiling, never laughing, but that changed a few years ago now that I remember." Sentaro replied.

"What changed for her that she got out of her depression?" Ichigo asked.

"Well it could be that she met you, and all those humans that you two used to be close with…" Sentaro replied absentmindedly and Ichigo's expression turned to sorrow. "Oh, uh, sorry if I brought up anything painful for you." He quickly added on.

"No, it's alright…" Ichigo replied as he forced a smile. "If I have any hopes of getting over it I'll need to get over it." He continued, though his reply only succeeded in confusing Sentaro.

"Ichigo, I can't begin to understand what you meant, but for a young one, you're pretty wise." Sentaro stated.

"Really you think so?" Ichigo asked.

"Yeah, of course I've regrettably never been known for my wisdom so what the hell do I know?" Sentaro replied with a laugh. "All I can say kid is, given time and the right company, and there are no wounds time won't heal." He finished as they entered the barracks.

Earlier after Kiyone left the barracks, she had to search all over the Seireitei before finding Rukia at a store that had a vast selection of Chappy the Rabbit merchandise. "There you are Rukia! I've been looking everywhere for you." Kiyone stated as she approached her lieutenant.

"Oh Kiyone fancy meeting you here, oh is that the time, I need to see-" Rukia was interrupted by Kiyone.

"Yeah I'm sure you have a previous engagement, but Ukitake wants you to come back to the squad now! What's wrong with you anyway?" Kiyone asked as she dragged Rukia out of the store with much effort.

"There's nothing wrong with me, but if you keep dragging me away from Chappy there's going to be a lot of things wrong with you!" Rukia shouted back.

"Fine we can talk here, but why'd you run out all of a sudden?" Kiyone asked as she followed Rukia back to the selection of Chappy dolls.

"What Ichigo had pissed me off that he was late getting there, and then I had a sudden urge to buy something of Chappy." Rukia replied.

"That's a very bad lie." Kiyone pointed out. "Besides you were with Isane when Ichigo arrived just two minutes late, so how would you know if he was late?" She asked.

"Lucky guess?" Rukia replied.

"Well due to that moron Sentaro I got stuck with him in a doorway and as such we were three minutes late, but you didn't hit us… Admit it! You're flustered by what Ichigo said, aren't you?" Kiyone asked, and Rukia was quick to cover the girl's mouth.

"Fine we'll talk on the way back to the barracks you little imp." Rukia replied through gritted teeth.

As they started walking, Kiyone was quick to get to the point. "So do you believe what he said, or are you gonna write it off as a lie?" She asked. "Wait, wait, before that I want to know why you reacted that way. There are plenty of girls here in the Seireitei that would kill for the affection of a hero like him." She explained.

"You're joking right? Ichigo isn't a hero, I mean yeah he's strong, and he is selfless but those are only things he did because he had no other choice." Rukia reasoned.

"_You're _joking right? He _is_ a hero, think about it, he gave up a normal human life to come here to rescue you when you were going to be executed, he defended Soul Society from the Bounts, then there was the issue with the zanpakutos and that Koga guy, and of course let's not forget about Aizen. In reality he really didn't have to do any of it, but he chose to, because it was what he thought was the right thing to do. Rukia do you realize just how lucky many girls will see you to be? The number one most eligible bachelor in the Seireitei has just admitted that he loves you! Doesn't that mean anything to you?" Kiyone explained, but she had lost Rukia at the part where she talked about his good deeds.

"Maybe she's right, I always saw Ichigo and myself as being friends and that made us equals, but regardless of being a Kuchiki I didn't see myself as special, and maybe that's why I've overlooked how much he really has done for all of us…" Rukia thought as she looked up into the sky. "Well are you sure it is love, and that it's not just being used as a means to describe a deep friendship like what Captain Kyoraku and Captain Ukitake have?" She asked.

"I think it's obvious, think about it Rukia, aside from what he himself admitted this morning, you are a beautiful woman, and you're very strong, he would be crazy not to like you like that." Kiyone reasoned.

"M-maybe you're right…" Rukia stuttered as they entered the barracks.

"Of course I'm right, but if this gets serious we're going to have to run some major damage control." Kiyone stated.

"Why is that?" Rukia asked.

"Well that's why." Kiyone replied as she pointed down the hallway just before Ichigo came bolting out of a room as he was chased down by countless cherry blossoms.

"Ichigo!" Rukia shouted as she drew her zanpakuto. "Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" She called out releasing her zanpakuto. "Tsugi no mai, Hakuren!" She shouted before blasting a wave of ice at the swarming blossoms before making a solid chunk of pink-tinted ice.

"Yeah, major damage control indeed…" Kiyone thought in a state of exasperation.

"Byakuya what are you doing!" Rukia shouted when she entered Ukitake's office to find Byakuya looking at the ice with disappointment in his eyes.

"Rukia I had received word from Captain Ukitake that an incident occurred here not long ago, when I arrived he filled me in on the situation. Ichigo Kurosaki must not be allowed to pursue these feelings he has developed as you will only end up hurt by him." Byakuya explained.

"But that isn't what's going on here… So what if Ichigo loves me what does it matter?" Rukia asked.

"Rukia I am only looking out for what is in your best interest. If you form a relationship with Ichigo Kurosaki only for it to fail, not only will you be devastated nut upon killing him myself we would lose a strong Soul Reaper." Byakuya explained.

"That's not going to happen." Rukia replied as she sheathed her zanpakuto.

"I agree with Rukia on this one, and it was not my intentions to invite you over here for a battle. I believe now that we all know how Ichigo feels, we'll be interested to find out how Rukia feels. Wouldn't you agree?" Ukitake asked.

Byakuya thought for a second before turning to Rukia with a stony gaze. "We're waiting." He stated sternly as Rukia began to tremble just as Ichigo made his way back into the room.

"Well, I um, uh…" Rukia struggled to find the right words to convey exactly how she felt, but then she had a brilliant idea. "Um, Ichigo is it really true that you l-love me?" She asked meekly as she began to blush, and Ichigo couldn't help but to do the same.

"Well… Yeah, I guess I do love you Rukia…" Ichigo replied, and once again all eyes were on Rukia.

"Really? You really love me?" Rukia asked as a touched smile permeated her lips and Ichigo nodded. "I… I love you too." She said in a tone so low that only Ichigo could hear.

"What was that, we didn't hear you, and last time I checked it was we who asked you, not Ichigo Kurosaki." Byakuya replied as he tightened his grip on Senbonzakura.

"I said the feeling is mutual Byakuya!" Rukia shouted sending everyone in hearing distance aware of the situation into shock. "I love Ichigo Kurosaki. That's all there is to it." She finished with a nervous smile as Byakuya loosened his grip on his zanpakuto.

"Captain Ukitake, I request that you disregard my earlier message, however, I must insist that you send Ichigo to my squad's barracks tomorrow, I have much I would like to discuss with him while prying ears are no longer of any concern. Now if you excuse me." Byakuya finished before leaving the room.

For the rest of the day Ichigo and Rukia both found it impossible to focus on their paperwork. Though once the day was nearing the evening Ichigo knew he could no longer avoid talking about the matter. "Uh, um, Ichigo, are you ready to go home?" Rukia asked nervously, but Ichigo looked down and saw that he still had a stack of fifty papers to sign.

"Sorry Rukia, but I need to finish up here." Ichigo replied nervously.

"Well if you would like some help, I could-" Rukia was interrupted by Ichigo.

"Nah don't sweat it… I can handle this much even after what happened." Ichigo replied as the two began to blush.

"Okay then, just don't overwork yourself okay?" Rukia asked and Ichigo nodded before Rukia left for the day.

"What's wrong Ichigo, why didn't you accept her help, it's not everyday that she offers a hand when it comes to others' share of paperwork." Sentaro pointed out.

"I couldn't… Not after what happened today… Say is there like a motel or something in the Seireitei that I might be able to sleep at tonight? If I go back to the Kuchiki manor, one it will be awkward, and two I already have to spend the day with Byakuya tomorrow, and I'm not exactly looking forward to it." Ichigo explained.

"Nope sorry, I would say sleep here in the barracks but we're all booked up. Unless you plan on night patrol duty for extra kan, but wait that's technically considered a mission, and Captain Unohana's mandate says no missions at all, but she didn't specify what kind of missions, so you're prohibited from all missions." Sentaro explained with a cocky grin.

"Great thanks…" Ichigo mumbled as he stared down at yet another request concerning him.

"Ichigo you can't avoid the problem to make it go away. I know it's been at least thirty minutes since you last completed a page, and I also know that you know the rest of your stack there is merely requests for your presence. Look I may not be the wisest Soul Reaper there ever was, but if you don't talk you're bound to lose her, do you want that?" Sentaro explained.

"N-no, I don't." Ichigo replied.

"Right, well let me finish those up for you, and you go on ahead, just be sure to tell me about it first thing in the morning." Sentaro stated.

"R-really? Thanks! I owe you one Sentaro!" Ichigo called back as he bolted down the hallway. "Hmm there he goes… You sure we should do this Kiyone? He might never forgive us for this." He stated as he pulled out a paper that he had been hiding up his sleeve.

"Yes we have to! Imagine how big of a favor Hisagi will owe us!" Kiyone replied as she took the paper from Sentaro. "We request that the members of Squad Thirteen divulge any juicy stories to the staff here at Seireitei Communication Monthly. Any and all cooperation will not be overlooked by our staff. Thank you and have a great day." She read out loud before stamping the request with the word "approved". "Come on we need to get to the editors about this quickly!" She shouted as they hastily stamped the rest of the papers before leaving the office.

As Ichigo was walking home he was struggling to think of how to handle the situation. "Damn it Rukia, why did you have to ask me that, and I did you have to be so honest about it?" He wondered. "If she would have just said no I could have told her the same thing I told Byakuya, but now what am I going to tell him?" He wondered as he came across a store selling Chappy the Rabbit merchandise. "Hmm, okay Ichigo think, is Rukia someone you'd be content spending the rest of eternity with? Let's review the facts, she's cute but quick tempered, adorable yet childish at times, and she has an overbearing older brother, but she also loves me, but if that love is only the same kind that I explained to Byakuya, then this is all meaningless… No the way she looked earlier… There's no way that it isn't romantic… Now if I am alright with Rukia then I should definitely get her one of these rabbit things. Not only will it make her happy, but it might impress Byakuya to see how much I paid attention to her. At that point I would prove him wrong making me one up on him. Yes I am satisfied with this." He thought as he checked the money in his pocket. "Okay, I have two thousand five hundred kan, and yes! The biggest rabbit they have is only two thousand two hundred!" He thought in triumph as he moved to the counter with his selection.

"Oh, getting a gift for your girlfriend huh? That'll be twenty-two hundred kan please." A young female academy student spoke up.

Ichigo quickly completed the transaction before returning back to the manor. In the living room Rukia and Byakuya were getting impatient as they waited for Ichigo to return, and when they heard the front door open, Rukia jumped up to give Ichigo a piece of her mind. "Ichigo where the hell have you been?" Rukia asked as she glared up at Ichigo.

"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked nervously as he struggled to keep the Chappy doll concealed behind his back.

"I went back to the office to give you a hand with your paperwork anyway but when I got there you were gone! Where have you been?" Rukia asked.

"Well I needed some time to think about what happened earlier, and well I wanted to get you something to show you how much you mean to me." Ichigo replied as he began to blush.

"Idiot, what are you getting all excited about?" Rukia asked though she was unable to keep herself from blushing from what Ichigo said.

"Here, I remember you saying you like rabbits, so I got this for you." Ichigo stated as he held the rabbit out to Rukia who became instantly consumed by the rabbit.

"But this is the special deluxe doll it costs over two thousand kan, how did you get it?" Rukia asked.

"Well a few days ago someone asked me to deliver a message to someone for reasons that are to remain a secret for the time being, and Renji gave me five thousand kan… Wait uh, never mind Renji had nothing to do with it." Ichigo replied nervously.

"Oh are you talking about Renji sending secret messages to Rangiku, he only gave you five thousand? What a joke, he offered me ten thousand." Rukia replied. "Still Ichigo thank you so much, I love it." She stated before giving Ichigo a kiss on the cheek.

"Did she just… I must say that was more than I expected… What kind of power do those rabbits have over her?" Ichigo wondered as he followed Rukia into the living room where Rukia had already began explaining the rabbit to Byakuya, but after her explanation Ichigo saw something he thought he'd never see. He received an expression of approval and a nod from the man that only that morning, he thought of as "Captain-stick-up-his-ass".

That night Ichigo laid awake in his futon as he looked out the window at the full moon and for the first time since he left the world of the living he didn't feel the least amount of sorrow. "You know, he may be uptight about a lot of things, but I think I could get used to the idea of him being close by." Ichigo thought as he remembered the look Byakuya had given him. "Maybe we will be a good match together." He thought as he remembered the feeling of Rukia's soft lips brushing if only briefly against his cheek. "Well tomorrow's a new day. I wonder if Byakuya still wants me to come with him to his barracks?" He wondered as he thought about what was waiting for him the next day, but nothing he could have done would have prepared him for what he awoke to.

Ichigo was woken early to the sound of furiously loud footsteps that were rapidly approaching his room, but before he could even get a word out, the second he opened his eyes he wished he hadn't, because the sight he woke up to was an up close view of Rukia's knuckles. "Explain this you bastard!" Rukia shouted as Ichigo rubbed his eyes.

"I don't know my eyes tend to not work well when they get a fist first thing in the morning." Ichigo replied, but once his eyes stopped hurting he saw what Rukia was furious about. There on the front page of Seireitei Communication was the answer to the question. "What to think of the sudden development between famed hero Ichigo Kurosaki and elegant noble Rukia Kuchiki as they can finally relax and focus on their blossoming love for each other? What the hell is this?" He asked blandly as he glared at the cover story. "Does the article say who provided information?" He asked.

"No all it says is that the information was provided by anonymous members of Squad Thirteen, are you saying you didn't do this?" Rukia asked.

"No, but I think I have a hunch on who is behind this. Ugh, Sentaro is going to regret this." Ichigo replied.

"Sentaro? Are you saying you think Sentaro went behind our backs and had this published?" Rukia asked in horror.

"Yes, I do and his big mouth just keeps on increasing the issues I'm already dealing with." Ichigo thought as he nodded at Rukia. "Maybe it's not that bad though, maybe no one had a chance to read it yet." He continued, and with that said they continued on with their normal morning routine, careful to keep the new development a secret from Byakuya for as long as possible. Of course they weren't expecting the reception they were greeted with when they stepped out onto the streets of the Seireitei.

"Ichigo you bastard when did you do it, and Rukia why didn't you tell me?" Renji asked, and he had clearly been waiting for them along with several other Soul Reapers.

As Ichigo looked around he couldn't help but feel annoyed, and then something caught his attention. "There Rukia, it's Sentaro!" Ichigo called out and within seconds he had Sentaro by his collar. "Just give me one good reason why you did it." He stated as Byakuya and Renji moved to disperse the crowd.

"Well yesterday you seemed kind of down, and whether the story be true or false, seeing everyone gather here to support you is what I thought could cheer you up." Sentaro replied honestly. "Seriously you seemed down about losing your friends, I thought if I could show you that you still have friends you'd cheer up." He continued and Ichigo's eyes widened as he looked around at everyone in the crowd, some of the faces he recognized while there were many more that he didn't, but it was all the same to Ichigo, while their privacy may have been trampled, there were many people who wanted to cheer him and Rukia on, and that was more than enough.

"You're right Sentaro I have been rather down lately, and I thank you for your concern, but next time can you express it in a way that doesn't put me in danger of a black eye?" Ichigo asked with a chuckle as the three members of Squad Thirteen went to work.

Chapter 2 end - actually I started to struggle through this chapter, as a burn survivor with extensive nerve damage in my shoulders I had to take multiple breaks while writing, and that itself affected the flow of the chapter, still I am content with it's turnout. For those who may believe I am moving too fast with the story line… please keep in mind that in this fic I must explain everything that leads up to my first fic, now onto other matters, my other two fics I've started will be hereby suspended until this fic is finished, I tried to write all three simultaneously but it was too confusing to keep track of which one I was working on at the time. I will say this much though I will be skipping forward up to three years for the next chapter… see you then.

(Shunpo into the future!)

Disclaimer: I do not own bleach because I am not Tite Kubo. I just wish I could use shunpo in real life… I guy can dream can't he?


	3. More Issues With Issues

**Chapter 3: More Issues With Issues**

Before Ichigo knew it, two weeks had past since his first psychiatric evaluation, and tomorrow was the third. "Ichigo it seems that in these two weeks you've gotten used to the work we do around here." Ukitake pointed out. It was late in the evening, and while everyone else in the squad had already taken off for the evening, Ichigo had decided to help Ukitake with a few last minute pages of paperwork.

"Well it's not so bad, honestly Renji had told me about paperwork he had to do once and said that it was insufferable, but I find this work to almost be a no-brainer. For instance this page here asks for the squad's input on new policies regarding how to deal with belligerent souls in Rukongai, being that they do not bear any spiritual powers should force be necessary in dealing with perpetrators? It would seem that the best course of action is not the full on use of force as we would deal with hollows, but rather utilizing bakudo to restrain the souls before imprisoning them based on the severity of the offense. Rukia told me once that we are not meant to dictate over the souls in Rukongai, but rather keep them safe, and I believe that it would be necessary to punish those who commit crimes without exercising brutality." Ichigo explained. "Would it be acceptable for me to write that as the response?" He asked.

"Actually that was very close to how I would have responded, but I would have pointed out that for those offenses that are of a more mild sort, we should issue fines and if the fines should not be met, we could go on to then arrest those individuals with the use of bakudo." Ukitake replied and Ichigo nodded before writing down the response. "Say Ichigo what would you say for this one, with the Sokyoku destroyed should the previous methods of execution be reintroduced?" He read out loud.

"What was the previous method of execution?" Ichigo asked as he looked up from his paperwork.

"Well we used to use a pit full of hollows, a Soul Reaper would be stripped of his or her powers and thrown in. At which point the hollows would devour the one to be executed." Ukitake explained and Ichigo was horrified by the explanation.

"Do you mean that the Seireitei actually used a method that horrifying to execute criminals? Of course we shouldn't go back to that, if anything we should have Yamamoto carry out the executions, or a Soul Reaper of sufficient caliber with the mind state capable of the burden of taking a life. Feeding hollows isn't are job and we are not zookeepers, we are Soul Reapers and it is our duty to purify hollows and perform konso on recently deceased souls. I believe strongly that those methods of the past remain only in the past, and never return to the present." Ichigo replied passionately.

"Very good Ichigo that is very similar to what I had already written down." Ukitake replied.

"Really? Well how about this one, following the betrayal of the captains for Squads Three, Five, and Nine, should the academic processes of the Soul Reaper academy be reevaluated by incorporating advanced psychiatric testing?" Ichigo asked, but Ukitake wasn't quick to answer.

"Ichigo these forms really should only be looked at by captains. I thank you for sticking around to help me out, but perhaps I should look through the rest of these on my own." Ukitake replied after a moment of thought.

"Um if you're sure, but wouldn't it go by quicker if you had some help, I mean a lieutenant could look at them right? I could send Rukia back if you need assistance." Ichigo suggested.

"No that won't be necessary, unlike our regular paperwork which has a deadline of twenty-four hours to complete, these required inputs on the possible revisions can be turned in to Yamamoto in a week's time. So there really is no rush." Ukitake replied.

"Well fine then, I'll be going now, take care Captain." Ichigo replied as he left Ukitake's office. "Hmm he didn't seem that bothered with my help before we began, so what made him change his mind? Was it the form regarding the psychiatric evaluations at that academy?" He wondered as he left the barracks.

Back in Ukitake's office, Ukitake was having extreme difficulties on his input on one issue in specific. "It's a good thing he left when he did, if he would have seen this I'm sure his mental condition would begin to deteriorate rapidly… Should the living humans whom are aware of the existence of Soul Society be silenced with maximum force as to avoid the possible risk of infiltration by the living with the means to enter the Soul Society?" He read the form silently. "This is obviously a precaution against groups like the Quincies and the fullbringers, but should the other nine captains agree that would mean feeding all of Ichigo's living friends to hollows… He most certainly can not find out about this form… But should he stumble onto the truth of the matter, he might decide to defend his friends at which point he would be seen as no different than Aizen… This is bad… Just what the hell is Yamamoto thinking?" He wondered as he wrote his reply on the form. "We must not allow this to happen!" He exclaimed in disgust.

It was rapidly approaching midnight by the time Ichigo returned to the Kuchiki manor, and when he went in only Byakuya was still awake. "Welcome back Ichigo… You were out late…" Byakuya pointed out.

"Oh yeah, I was helping Captain Ukitake with last minute paperwork. Something about requesting the opinions of the captains or something like that, but the forms detailed some pretty heavy stuff… Wait don't tell me you already finished it." Ichigo stated.

"No, I have only completed a fourth of the forms, however did you see any forms that might have unacceptable outcomes?" Byakuya asked.

"Well Ukitake had a form that talked about the style of execution, but we both agreed that a pit of hollows was to remain in the past." Ichigo replied.

"I see…" Byakuya uttered, and Ichigo could have sworn Byakuya looked slightly relieved. "Though Ichigo I want to ask you about the affair between you and Rukia…" He continued and Ichigo flinched out of nervousness directed toward the sudden question.

"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked as he tried to hide the fact that he was beginning to tremble.

"Let me ask you, it has been no less than thirteen days since you and Rukia announced your feelings in regard to the other, however I'm beginning to doubt the sincerity of your declaration… Ichigo was your admission of infatuation merely a ruse you two agreed upon to make a fool of me yet again?" Byakuya asked, but Ichigo was on the verge of a serious panic attack brought on by Byakuya's question.

"Are you asking because we haven't really acted as though we love each other? Look it's not exactly an emotion I'm good at expressing, Captain Kyoraku whom can confess his feelings at the drop of a hat… Before I can, well, you know, I need to feel comfortable in the situation, but I haven't had a chance to feel comfortable yet… As for Rukia, maybe she expects me to make the first move, or maybe she's exactly the same way I am when it comes to romance… I just don't know what's going on, and if that makes it seem like a lie I apologize, but I would never lie about something that serious." Ichigo explained as his face reddened slightly.

"I see, so if the mood and setting were of your preference you would feel more at ease thus giving you the courage necessary to follow your heart. That is an interesting concept. Tomorrow you will prove to me the weight of your words. I will personally set the mood between the two of you, and finally we will see if you are lying or if indeed you are telling the truth, I speak in regards to the two of you. Should you turn out to be lying to me, tonight will be the last you spend in this house, do you understand?" Byakuya asked, but had Ichigo been in his material body he could swear that he would have died from a heart attack.

"That's perfectly understandable, however I must get to sleep I have my second evaluation tomorrow and I need to get some rest, so we can talk more about this tomorrow, is that alright with you?" Ichigo asked and Byakuya nodded giving Ichigo the okay to go upstairs to the guest room that he had slept in since his departure from the living world. "Is he being serious? Even if the mood is perfect, there's no way I can do this now." He thought before rolling over and drifting off to sleep.

The next morning Ichigo awoke earlier than normal, but while his dreams were pleasant enough for once, he was rudely awakened by the sensation of a nearby hollow, but by the time he had fully awakened the hollow had vanished. "It's gone? Did someone destroy it?" Ichigo wondered as he looked out of a window in the direction he had sensed the hollow only moments earlier. "No, there's no one out there. It must have retreated back to Hueco Mundo, but why? Was there a reason it had to go back?" He wondered as he left his room.

When Ichigo entered the kitchen he was greeted by both Rukia and Byakuya already sitting down for breakfast. "Oh good morning Ichigo, you're up earlier than usual, couldn't sleep, or did you have a nightmare?" Rukia joked as she mimicked a motherly voice.

"What? Didn't you two feel that hollow's presence just now?" Ichigo asked, but Rukia and Byakuya shot him a confused look. "Ugh, maybe it was just part of my dream… Oh well, but do you two always wake up this early? It's only five o'clock in the morning." He pointed out.

"Well Ichigo it is better to be on time rather than late, but for a Kuchiki being on time is being late, so Byakuya and I always wake up earlier than we have to so that we avoid being late." Rukia replied and Ichigo gave her an exasperated look.

"Are you serious? That isn't healthy to get up even before the birds." Ichigo replied as he sat down grabbing a slice of toast in the process.

"Is that all you're going to eat for breakfast?" Rukia asked and Ichigo nodded. "And you say we're unhealthy. Ichigo if you don't eat more than that you're going to grow old fast." She added on.

"What does appetite have to do with longevity?" Ichigo asked, but Rukia simply glared at him. "Fine you win." He continued before grabbing a few more slices of toast replacing Rukia's glare with a satisfied smile in the process. Seeing her smile Ichigo was reminded of his talk with Byakuya the night before. "Hmm, I wonder what he meant by setting the mood… With Rukia's interest in mind it could mean anything from Chappy to the death of hollows." He thought not realizing that Rukia was trying to talk to him.

"Hey Ichigo are you there!" Rukia shouted.

"Huh what?" Ichigo asked as he snapped back to reality.

"I was just asking if I had something on my face, you've been staring at me as if something was wrong with me." Rukia replied in an aggravated tone of voice.

"Oh, no I was just lost in thought, but Rukia, I'm curious, what kind of place makes you feel the most comfortable?" Ichigo asked and Byakuya glanced over at Ichigo.

"A place where I feel comfortable the most? Why do you ask?" Rukia asked.

"Well I just realized that aside from our duties as Soul Reapers and that phony act you put on back at my school, I really don't know that much about you. So I wanted to know more about you." Ichigo explained.

"So you bypass "what's your favorite color" and several other questions and go straight for where I feel the most comfort?" Rukia asked.

"That's not exactly what I intended to do, it's just the first question that came to mind." Ichigo replied, but Rukia seemed less than convinced. "Fine, what's your favorite color?" He asked while growing more and more agitated.

"Well if you're going to insist on making fun of me, you can forget about me answering any questions at all!" Rukia shouted.

"I wasn't making fun of you, but if that's what you want then fine! You're nothing more than a violent midget who is only good at making my life feel like I'm in hell! Is that what you wanted to hear?" Ichigo shouted back.

"At least I don't have mental issues unlike someone else we know. Oh no Tsukishima don't do that to my friends, no! I've heard you cry that out loud while you slept every night since you've been hear, so who has the real issues here?" Rukia asked, but her words stabbed Ichigo far worse than any arrancar's zanpakuto could have.

"Rukia take that back now…" Ichigo growled as he hung his head low.

"No, why should I when it's the truth? Let's face it Ichigo, there must be a good reason why your friends hated you even with the effect of Tsukishima's influence, and don't pretend that it was because my brother took the man's life." Rukia replied, but without saying anything else Ichigo slammed his hands down on the table as he stood up before leaving the room. "Well I guess it's all true…" She uttered as she returned her attention to her breakfast.

"Rukia, perhaps it is not my place to say this, but while what Ichigo said was out of spite, what you said touches heavily on an issue that he is struggling to overcome, rather more to the point, you might have set his mental progression back to the state it was in when he first came to Soul Society. Is that really what you wanted to achieve this morning? I will let you know now, Ichigo asked the question possibly out of a desire to grow closer to you than he already has, and his remarks after the fact were merely a means to hide an emotion that he admitted to me last night that he is unskillful when it comes to conveying." Byakuya stated.

"So what, are you saying that he wanted to know where I felt most comfortable because he l-loves me?" Rukia asked, but Byakuya didn't give a reply.

When Ichigo left the manor he was on the verge of tears. "I know what I said was mean, but for her to say that… I could never use something like this against her…" He thought as he took a longer route to get to the Squad Four barracks than he had normally used to get to his counseling sessions. "Even worse is that Byakuya's probably furious with me, and now they're both probably ecstatic that I stormed out of the house… I bet they're both talking about more of my shortcomings and having a long laugh in the process." He thought before bumping into Toshiro.

"You know normally it is a common practice to watch where you're walking Ichigo." Toshiro stated as he glared at Ichigo.

"Captain Hitsuguya my apologies, I'm dealing with some issues right now, and as a result I was paying attention to my surroundings, it won't happen again hopefully." Ichigo replied.

"Wow, you addressed me by "Captain Hitsuguya" instead of calling me "Toshiro", are you feeling alright? Did you hit your head or something?" Toshiro asked as the two resumed walking.

"No I'm just struggling with what happened with the fullbringers, and getting into an argument with Rukia this morning isn't helping the situation any." Ichigo replied.

"You two are usually always arguing, what makes this morning so bad?" Toshiro asked.

"This morning it was a little worse… Okay a lot worse than our usual arguments… I feel like my life is falling apart at every opportunity." Ichigo replied.

"Well you should talk to Unohana about that, she is a very good psychiatrist at times, and she could give you some advice to help you through your problem." Toshiro suggested.

"Yeah I know, I'm actually on my way to my second psychiatric evaluation, but if you want my honest thought on the matter, I think she'll judge my condition to be worse than it was two weeks ago when I first started seeing her." Ichigo explained.

"Well I can't give you any other advice on the matter I'm afraid. I've never had to deal with the type of problem you must have. Just don't get discouraged, and trust Unohana's wisdom on the matter, she really can help you if you're willing to be helped. Now if you excuse me I must be getting to my squad." Toshiro stated before using shunpo.

"Yeah that's what I've been told…" Ichigo thought before continuing on to Squad Four.

When Ichigo arrived at the Squad Four barracks, he was greeted by Unohana personally. "Welcome Ichigo, I've been waiting for you to arrive." She stated with a warm smile.

"Right, well let's get this over with." Ichigo replied and Unohana narrowed her eyes.

"Yes let us proceed to my office." Unohana replied. "So tell me, how are things going?" She asked once they were in her office.

"Well, they're going…" Ichigo replied as he stared at the floor.

"Ichigo your demeanor is quite different from the last time I saw you, did something happen recently to cause the drastic mood change?" Unohana asked as she wrote something down on her notepad.

"Well I just have a lot on my plate right now…" Ichigo replied as he avoided eye contact.

"Hmm, his mental state has regressed back to shortly after he first arrived, but what caused this change?" Unohana wondered as she wrote something else on her notepad. "Ichigo could you tell me about how things are going between you and the other members on your squad?" She asked.

"What's there to say? We work on endless stacks of paperwork and when they had that big mission last week, I stayed behind as per your mandate." Ichigo replied.

"Ichigo I meant could you tell me about your perspective of the individual officers in your squad?" Unohana asked but Ichigo began to shake at her question.

"Things are perfectly fine." Ichigo lied, and Unohana narrowed her eyes on him.

"That wasn't much of an answer." Unohana stated.

"Yeah well what are you expecting me to say? That after just two weeks I would be good friends with them? Well in case you haven't noticed I've had to reevaluate how I go about making friends…" Ichigo replied in a raised voice.

"Very well, then can you at least tell me about your relationship with Rukia Kuchiki?" Unohana asked, but Ichigo had heard enough and he abruptly stood up.

"You want to know about my relationship with her? The two of us aren't going to associate with each other anymore, and I believe that it is the best thing that could have happened, now if you excuse me, I have had enough of you probing my mind at the request of the old man. Some people are just screwed up, that's just how life is! It's cold and unfair, and I've simply ignored it in the hopes that I was wrong with what I've been feeling lately, just why the hell am I kidding myself in a meager attempt to repair my shattered life that no one seems to understand is never going to be happy again! I've lost all that I care about, and moving here was simply a means of hiding from the fact that my life has no point now!" Ichigo shouted.

"Is that really how you feel?" Unohana asked as she placed the notepad back into her desk.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to snap at you, it's just I've lost everything that I care about, and now I have absolutely nothing to live for. What point is there in going on with life if none of my friends are there with me?" Ichigo asked as he calmed back down.

"Ichigo this is something I usually never suggest to my patients, but have you ever drank before?" Unohana asked, but Ichigo shook his head. "I figured as much. Did you know that alcohol has an impressive effect on the mind? Now I'm not going to tell you to drown your sorrows in sake, and I don't want you to become an alcoholic, but I believe strongly that it might be in your best interest to do something to directly alter your mood, and while it's effects are only temporary, I think it might do your self-esteem wonders. Also I believe that Rukia may be the contributing factor in your low mood this morning, I think it would be best to sit the two of you down in the company of two responsible captains should a problem arise, and I think the two of you should, in the words of Shunsui, down a bottle or three." She explained with an amused smile, and Ichigo had to stop his jaw from slamming on the ground. "Would tonight be a suitable time for you?" She asked with the same smile.

By the time Ichigo left the Squad Four barracks his mental image of Unohana had been scarred forever, and he couldn't help but stumble whenever he thought about her suggestion as he made his way to the Squad Thirteen barracks. In fact he had been so occupied with what happened in her office that he didn't even notice Rukia's glares when he entered the office. "G-good afternoon everyone." He stated weakly as he took his usual seat between Sentaro and Rukia.

"Good afternoon my ass! Where the hell have you been?" Sentaro shouted as he slid Ichigo a stack of paperwork.

"Today was my second psychiatric evaluation, but I think I'll be mentally scarred for the rest of my life." Ichigo replied weakly.

"Why, what happened? Wait don't tell me Captain Unohana and my sister did weird mental experiments on you?" Kiyone spoke up.

"No, the mental experiment is tonight… Captain Unohana wants to get me drunk…" Ichigo replied and nearly everyone dropped their jaws.

"She what? Is Isane in on this?" Kiyone asked.

"No… Unohana just wants to see if it will help my mental state." Ichigo replied weakly.

"Why you seemed pretty on the level yesterday, did something happen?" Sentaro asked.

"Did something happen? I don't know who…" Ichigo replied drearily.

"Oh forget it! She must have done something to screw him up!" Kiyone shouted as she threw herself on her back. "We're probably not going to be able to rely on Ichigo to help with the paperwork today, so I'll do it for you Captain!" She exclaimed as she suddenly sat back up before reaching for the stack of papers in front of Ichigo.

"No Captain, I will do it for you!" Sentaro shouted as he grabbed for the stack as well.

"No I will do the papers for the work is the basis of a healthy society of souls…" Ichigo blurted out before grabbing the paperwork.

"Wow he seems really broken, are you sure you're getting drunk tonight, and aren't already drunk?" Kiyone asked.

"Sure as can be, right?" Ichigo asked as he looked over at Ukitake.

"Sure whatever you say Ichigo." Ukitake replied with a nervous smile.

"Oh enough of this! Just what the hell are you doing Ichigo!" Rukia shouted after losing her patience.

"What do you care? You shouldn't talk that way, people might start to think we're actually friends." Ichigo replied with a nasty glare.

"Whoa, what was that about?" Sentaro asked.

"Sentaro, Kiyone, I'm feeling a bit tired, could you help me to my room?" Ukitake asked.

"Sure Captain…" Sentaro and Kiyone replied in unison before helping Ukitake leave the room.

"Well you didn't answer the question Rukia." Ichigo growled as he continued to glare at Rukia.

"Well you're right I don't care, act like a fool all you want, it doesn't concern me in the slightest. Now if you're capable of not being a complete idiot please tell Captain Ukitake that I had to go home for the day." Rukia replied coolly.

"Tell him yourself! I'm not your slave." Ichigo replied bitterly.

"No! Perhaps you heard wrong, but that was a direct order from your superior officer, and because you are an idiot I'll elaborate what that means, if you do not do as I say, I will report you to Squad Two at which point the stealth force will arrest you and you might even spend a few nights in the Tower of Penance. Now pass the message on to the captain when he returns, and while you're at it this paperwork will need to be completed. Now goodbye lowly fifth seat." Rukia replied bitterly before storming out of the room leaving Ichigo to drown in his own anger.

Ichigo was still fuming when he finished for the day, and in his state of anger he didn't even bid Sentaro or Kiyone farewell as he normally would. Ichigo was hurt, and angry, but he could not figure out a way to overcome the emotions he was feeling as he made his way back to the manor. "Tch, after what happened this morning would I even be welcome back here?" He wondered as he stood at the front door contemplating whether or not to go in. "Maybe I should just find a gutter to sleep in…" He thought as he turned to leave but then he stopped when he felt the presence of Unohana behind him just before the door opened.

"Oh Ichigo I thought that might have been you, hurry up and come inside so we can get started." Unohana stated, but Ichigo remained in the same place.

"Captain, I appreciate the sentiment, but I don't think… No, I know that this can't work." Ichigo replied, but feeling the presence of Byakuya standing in the doorway made Ichigo turn around.

"Ichigo, Captain Unohana is the most respected practitioner of healing the Soul Society has ever seen. Believe me when I say this, if Unohana can't fix the problem between you and Rukia, I will surrender my manor to you for one decade." Byakuya stated forcing Ichigo to widen his eyes.

"N-no that wouldn't be necessary! Seriously, I just don't think we'll be able to stay in the same room for long, that's all. My opinion has nothing to do with Captain Unohana's proficiency, really." Ichigo replied flustered by what Byakuya had said.

"Well I'd say there's only one way to find out. Please come on in." Unohana stated as she held out a bottle of sake to Ichigo. "Really what do you have to lose?" She asked as Ichigo stared down at the bottle.

"And you're sure this will work?" Ichigo asked as he gave Unohana a skeptical look.

"Of course I am." Unohana replied before Ichigo took the bottle from her hand. "That a boy." She stated as she and Byakuya ushered him into the living room, where a very agitated though sober Rukia was sitting on a sofa.

"I think I'll just sit here." Ichigo muttered as he took a seat in one of two recliners. "So, I've never drank before, how do I begin?" He asked modestly as he looked up at Unohana who chuckled at his question.

"Here let me demonstrate." Unohana replied as she poured the sake into a small cup before downing it in one gulp. "It's as simple as that." She added on when she finished.

"You know I can honestly say this isn't how I envisioned my first drinking experience would be." Ichigo admitted as he poured the sake into another small cup. "Well, here I go." He uttered before downing the sake spurring a coughing fit after he swallowed. "Ugh, why on earth would anyone drink something this foul?" He exclaimed as he glared at the bottle of sake. "Ugh, seriously is it supposed to burn my throat… Speaking of burning, is it natural to feel like the reverse effect of being micro waved?" He asked.

"Hmm, you are experiencing the earliest stage of inebriation, but that is normal. Though in order for this exercise to work you're going to need a lot more than one cup." Unohana stated.

"You mean I have to drink more of this crap?" Ichigo asked.

"Hmm, perhaps Ichigo would be better with wine. I will get some from the cellar." Byakuya replied, and before someone could say zanpakuto he had returned with four bottles. "Here, you may find this easier on your throat than sake." He stated as he filled two wine glasses.

"Wait don't tell me you're going to drink with him." Rukia stated as she glared at her brother.

"No Rukia, not yet at least. This glass is for you." Byakuya stated as he handed the glasses up.

"Well I guess I'll give this a try." Ichigo stated before guzzling down the wine. "Hey! You're right, this does taste pretty good." He continued, and not wanting to be shown up by Ichigo, Rukia slammed her glass slightly quicker than Ichigo.

"Ha! I downed my drink faster than you!" Rukia shouted before pouring another glass.

"Huh, trying to make this a competition? Well I accept your challenge!" Ichigo shouted as he poured himself another glass before downing the dark purple drink.

"Why does everything need to be a competition with you, it was like that when you first met Uryu, it was like that when you and Renji came to rescue me, in fact I wouldn't be surprised if you looked at Aizen as just more competition." Rukia stated as she downed another glass.

"Not that it was a competition, but what's wrong with a little contest every once in a while?" Ichigo asked as he downed another glass as his head began to sway.

"There's nothing wrong with a simple contest until you make it personal." Rukia stated as she poured herself another glass.

"It's not that I intend for it to be personal, it's just… It's like when you're getting along with someone but then they come to a disagreement about something that isn't really important, and it explodes into a full on fight, you know?" Ichigo asked as he downed yet another glass.

"That's understandable I suppose, but is the disagreement due to keeping your pride worth losing a friend?" Rukia asked as she stared into her glass.

"No, it's not, I don't think there's anything that would excuse throwing away a precious friend. I just wish that they could see things the same way." Ichigo stated before taking a drink from his glass.

"Maybe they do see things that way, it's just they chose to not throw away their other friend." Rukia replied.

"I just don't understand why things happened the way they did… What's worse is feeling that this is something that can't be fixed once screwed up… I don't know how to undo what Tsukishima did, and worse than that… One of the only true friends I have left hates me." Ichigo stated as tears rolled down his face.

"I don't hate you Ichigo, it's just you make it easy for me to get mad at you… I mean it's been two weeks since we admitted to loving each other, but since the day after we've only acted as if it never happened. I mean, what are we to you?" Rukia asked as she stood up before walking over to the recliner before plopping down on Ichigo's lap.

"W-what are you d-doing?" Ichigo asked as he began to tremble.

"Oh relax, now answer my question. What am I to you?" Rukia asked as she looked up into Ichigo's eyes.

"Well, would "my girlfriend" be an acceptable answer?" Ichigo asked and a mischievous smile spread across Rukia's lips.

"Why don't you find out? Now I'll ask one more time, what am I to you?" Rukia asked.

"M-my girlfriend…" Ichigo replied nervously.

"Ah, now that wasn't so hard was it?" Rukia asked as she nestled in closer to Ichigo. "Ah yeah, this is nice, I like this spot." She uttered in a low volume.

"I guess it really wasn't… Hey Rukia alcohol has a strange power don't you think? My head keeps spinning." Ichigo stated.

"Yeah, pretty colors…" Rukia replied with a giggle. "Uh-oh, I'm not feeling to good…" She stated, and Ichigo could hear her stomach churning.

"Wait Rukia you wouldn't…" Ichigo stated, but before he could finish his statement Rukia vomited all over the front of his shihakusho. "Ugh… Lovely." He uttered as he fought back the urge to follow Rukia's example.

"I'm sorry…" Rukia uttered drearily as she wiped her mouth.

In the kitchen Byakuya was having a drink with Unohana when they heard the commotion in the living room. "Do you think we should have told them not to chug the wine?" Byakuya asked as he glanced in the direction of the living room.

"Probably, I can guarantee that they'll both have nasty hangovers tomorrow, of course I had a feeling that two first time drinkers would suffer from a hangover so I informed Jushiro that they would both be unable to work tomorrow. Though on more important matters, I believe that Ichigo's depression was just as you said, spurred by his argument with Rukia, though I can say that now he is doing much better than I had anticipated, so I think it will be acceptable for him to participate in missions here in the Soul Society, though as for the living world, I believe he still needs much progress before he's ready." Unohana stated.

"I'm pleased to hear that." Byakuya replied before taking another sip of his wine.

Back in the living room, Ichigo and Rukia were still sipping down on their wine. "So I wonder how much of this I have to drinks… Unohana didn't said." Ichigo stated, and Rukia started laughing. "What's funny?" He asked.

"You slurring words mades me laughs." Rukia stated as she slurred her words causing her to laugh even more. "Come to thought of it, you has vomit on your shi-shi, well on yours shirts, so we needs to get you out of its." She continued as she pulled apart Ichigo's shihakusho before dropping it on the floor. "There bye-bye vomits." She stated in a singsong voice.

"Hey you gots a little on you too." Ichigo pointed out as he pointed to a small section of Rukia's shihakusho covered in vomit.

"Oh you rights, well I needs to gets this off then." Rukia replied as she undid the top half of her shihakusho. "Hey should we move over to the couches? There would be more rooms over there." She pointed out. "I knows! We should sleeps on the couch tonight, would that be fun?" She asked.

"Uh… Yeah, that would be fun." Ichigo agreed absentmindedly.

"Right on! I'll go get the blankets!" Rukia exclaimed as she jumped up before stumbling over to the stairs before struggling to climb them as Ichigo stumbled over to the couch before falling face first.

"Oof." Ichigo mumbled as the couch muffled the sound before he struggled to roll over just as Rukia returned with a blanket while wearing a nightgown she had put on backwards. "Your clothes on backwards." He pointed out.

"Oh, you're right, I'll fix that in no times!" Rukia exclaimed before taking five minutes to turn it the right way forward. "Alright all done." She stated before laying down on top of Ichigo.

"Hey Rukia, are you still awake?" Ichigo asked as he leaned his head up.

"Yeah, but I am pretty tired." Rukia replied. "Why do you need to get up?" She asked with a pouting expression.

"No, I don't needs to gets up, I just wants to say I loves you." Ichigo stated modestly.

"Oh, that's so sweets, I loves you too… Strawberry." Rukia replied with a chuckle, and Ichigo couldn't help but laugh at the pun she made on is name, and within minutes they were both asleep.

Back in the kitchen, Byakuya became aware that there was nothing but silence in the living room, and when he went to investigate his eyebrow began to twitch at the discovery he and Unohana made. "This kid…" Byakuya stated as he gripped the handle of Senbonzakura.

"Byakuya don't, let them have this night… For one they're both sharing a touching moment that they won't remember the details to tomorrow anyway, and for two the thought of their reactions when they wake up tomorrow will be nothing short of priceless, wouldn't you agree?" Unohana asked.

"Fine, but this had better not become a habit, if only for his safety he will not defile my sister." Byakuya replied, and after that he went off to bed after allowing Unohana to sleep in another guest room, and in mere moments everyone was finally asleep.

Early the following morning Ichigo awoke with a splitting headache as he struggled to gain a bearing on his surroundings. "Oh, what happened last night?" He wondered as he struggled to sit up before realizing something was laying on top of him. "Wait…" He uttered as he struggled to see in the dark just what was on top of him, and then his eyes finally adjusted before spreading as wide as they possibly could. "Rukia! What the hell is she doing sleeping on top of me? What the hell happened last night? What the hell is going on?" He wondered as sweat began to pour just as Rukia began to wake up.

"Oh, my aching head…" Rukia uttered as she blankly stared into Ichigo's chest. "Huh, what is this? It's really firm… This isn't my bed is it?" She asked as she felt Ichigo's chest before looking up and seeing Ichigo's panic-stricken face. "Ichigo, what are you doing in my room, and in my bed no less?" She asked.

"Well I was actually wondering the same thing, after all you're on top of me, but do you notice anything strange here aside from the obvious?" Ichigo asked.

"Um, no…" Rukia replied as she struggled to keep herself from exploding with anger.

"Rukia, we're on a couch in the living room…" Ichigo replied.

"Huh… You're right… Do you remember how we ended up like this?" Rukia asked as she sat up.

"No, I was hoping you would…" Ichigo admitted.

"No, I don't… Weird…" Rukia stated, and a few seconds later the two began to laugh until their stomachs began to churn violently. "Oh no, I think I'm going to be sick…" She continued before leaning over the arm of the couch just in time to vomit all over the floor.

"Ugh, I just swallowed my vomit…" Ichigo uttered. "Rukia I don't think work will be happening today…" He stated as he stood up with the blanket wrapped around him.

"Yeah… I think we should go back to bed…" Rukia replied as she wiped her mouth off. "So my room or your room?" She asked and Ichigo gave her a confused look. "Oh don't be shy now, last night we both obviously decided to sleep on the couch together, and it's not like we'd be doing anything we shouldn't, so it will be fine." She reasoned.

"I think you might still be a little drunk, what do you think Byakuya would say if he caught me in your room?" Ichigo asked as he stumbled up the stairs.

"Good point… So your room it is." Rukia reasoned.

"Fine…" Ichigo stated with a heavy sigh as the two laid down on his futon. "Something tells me that this argument isn't really worth winning." He thought as he and Rukia drifted back off to sleep.

Chapter 3 end - Due to some technical difficulties over the past day or two (I've been up for close to forty hours) I lost what I had written for this chapter twice, I guess third time really is the charm, anyway I know I said that I would advance the story by a few years, but I forgot about the psychiatric evaluations so it didn't seem feasible to me anymore, but I like the way this chapter turned out, I feel like I came pretty close to the natural characters of Ichigo and Rukia, though on a side note I noticed that the name Ichigo sounds like you're saying "each ego" not really relevant but funny slightly maybe possibly. Anyway please review and if my computer lets me I will get started on chapter 4 ASAP

(Shunpo to get more wine, I can I'm twenty-two, remember please drink responsibly, and unlike Ichigo don't drink underage, it is illegal and you will get arrested)

Disclaimer: I do not own bleach, Tite Kubo is the man who created this glorious manga/anime


	4. Home Part 1

**Chapter 4: Home Part 1**

Ichigo awoke later that morning to the sensation of yet another hollow nearby that once again vanished before he could react, not that he really felt up to fighting a hollow in his hung-over state, but it once again bothered him that for a second time a hollow had surfaced and retreated seemingly without anyone but him becoming aware of its presence. "I don't get it, how can a hollow show up and no one but me is able to sense it?" He wondered as he stared out his window, but a few seconds a throbbing pain in his head made him wince heavily. "Man my head hurts, but at least my hangover isn't as bad as Rukia's." He thought as he noticed a few puddles of vomit off to the side of his bed. "Well I guess I should be thankful she didn't do it on my bed." He uttered, but a moment later he felt as though his heart would stop when the door slid open. "Please if there is a god of fortune, let whomever that is not be Byakuya." He pleaded silently before turning around to find Byakuya very red in the face. "Damn!" He thought in horror as he watched Byakuya's gaze travel from him to Rukia laying in his futon.

Without another word spoken Byakuya merely left the room before sliding the door closed leaving Ichigo more than confused at his apparent lack of concern in this situation. Shortly following, Rukia also awoke complaining of a severe headache. "Oh, remind me never to drink wine again!" She grunted before rolling over and vomiting once again on Ichigo's floor.

"Still feeling sick to your stomach?" Ichigo asked as he sat back down on the futon.

"What do you think?" Rukia retorted bitterly as she massaged her temples.

"Yeah I guess that was kind of a stupid question. Um, would you like me to see if Unohana has some medicine you could take for a hangover?" Ichigo asked with a calm smile.

"Ugh, yeah that would be lovely." Rukia replied with a groan.

"Very well, I'll be back as soon as possible." Ichigo replied before putting on one of his spare shihakushos before leaving the room.

As Ichigo strolled along toward Squad Four's barracks he could sense a familiar reiatsu nearby, but the voice calling from above a wall behind him on the right gave away whom the reiatsu belonged to. "Hey! Good morning Ichigo!" Ichigo looked back just in time to see a kick coming allowing him to just barely dodge the attack.

"Dad! Wha-what the hell are you doing here?" Ichigo asked as his eyes widened.

"Well I was worried about you. You didn't return home after that situation, and when I brought your name up around the girls they seemed to have very mixed reactions to it, but none of them good." Isshin stated with a frown. "I even tried talking to them and admitting that I had no idea who this Tsukishima guy is, but imagine my surprise when Karin said that I was just brainwashed by Soul Reapers." He continued.

"So his powers are still affecting everyone then?" Ichigo asked as a scowl covered his face.

"Yeah, but it's not like it would matter much. Ichigo do you know why I'm here?" Isshin asked as he narrowed his eyes on his son.

"No, but why do I get the feeling this isn't going to be pleasant?" Ichigo asked.

"Well the human body is an amazing thing, but how long do you think even life-support could keep a soulless body alive?" Isshin asked and Ichigo's eyes widened. "Ichigo your body died yesterday morning at around five fifteen." He stated solemnly. "Even if things had changed back to the way they were, you wouldn't have been able to return to your life… I'm sorry." He finished as he hung his head low.

"Nah, don't worry about that, honestly there were a few times when I thought about making the change to Soul Reaper permanently, not that I was serious, but I just thought that maybe this was how I am supposed to be you know, or maybe it's more like I was going to become a full-fledged Soul Reaper one day anyway, but what I'm trying to say is this is alright with me. Dad I was place in a squad a few weeks ago and I've been making new friends, and I even took your advice and I'm seeing someone now." Ichigo explained as the two began to walk together.

"Really! That's amazing I always knew you would listen to dear-old dad and get a nice lady to keep you company at night." Isshin stated with a cheesy smirk.

"Dad it's not really like that, besides don't you even want to know what squad I'm in or even how I'm doing aside from the obvious?" Ichigo asked slightly offended.

"Well yeah, but I'm just pleasantly overwhelmed by the fact that you're becoming the man I always knew you'd become. Though as long as you're in a talkative mood tell me, how is old Ukitake nowadays?" Isshin asked with a satisfied smirk.

Ichigo stopped abruptly and gave Isshin a puzzled look before it dawned on him. "Urahara?" He asked and Isshin nodded. "Well he's doing fine on some days, but there are others where he doesn't even get out of bed. Aside from that I've been staying at the Kuchiki Manor, which has it's ups and downs." He explained.

"Ups I can understand. That girl Rukia seems nice and cute enough, and by manor I'm assuming she's a noble, but if that's the case where do the downs come in at?" Isshin asked.

"Well her adoptive brother Byakuya for one, he can be somewhat overbearing and at times I wonder if he's going to haul off and attack me, and then there's Rukia, she's the lucky lady, as you would put it, but don't get me wrong, it's just that well, being together is still a little new for both of us, and I just can't seem to get the hang of how to act in a relationship." Ichigo explained.

"Well you could ask Retsu for advice." Isshin suggested.

"Nah, I already take up more than enough of her time with my psychiatric evaluations and counseling sessions, and I feel like if I take anymore of her time I'll just be a burden." Ichigo replied.

"So you've been going through some hard times… Well just be thankful you haven't seen what I've seen." Isshin stated. "If he knew that his sisters were indifferent about his death yesterday I'm sure it would destroy him." He thought as Ichigo seemed to lose himself in his own thoughts.

"Say dad, how many of my old friends have been informed of my death?" Ichigo asked.

"Well your sisters and Orihime, Chad, and Tatsuki, they informed some of the other kids at your school as well." Isshin replied.

"Okay, but how did they react? I'm wondering if Tsukishima used his power to directly influence everyone's opinion of me then maybe my death would also be necessary to return them to normal, not just his." Ichigo suggested.

"I wish I could give you good news on that subject, but I'm afraid things went probably far worse than you initially expected… Your sisters have been invited to a party to mourn your life and celebrate your death." Isshin stated and he could see instantly that Ichigo's heart was breaking. "Don't worry though, there is no way I would let them go, and I even got Urahara and Yoruichi to agree to break up the party." He quickly added on.

"No, you don't need to do that… Granted Tsukishima's powers are unnatural even as far as we're concerned, this is my burden and I can't let you, Yoruichi, and Urahara alienate the others just for my sake. You are Karin's and Yuzu's father, and Urahara and Yoruichi were friends with the others as well, don't ruin the bonds for the hope of fixing one that's already shattered. Trust me, you don't want to be in my position anymore than I do. So if you want to do something nice for me and everyone else, let them have their party." Ichigo replied sternly as he turned away from his father.

"Ichigo these kids that you once gave your Soul Reaper powers to save are celebrating because you are no longer with them… They are glad you're dead, and you want me to believe that you would be happy with this?" Isshin asked with a hint of anger in his voice.

"No I am not happy with this, I'm simply saying I would be less happy if you put yourself in this same situation for a purpose that may very well be impossible, but trust me on one thing, Tsukishima won't stay a soul in the living world for long before he's sent here, and then I'll be able to exact my revenge, and maybe then I can get the answer to how to undo his ability." Ichigo explained. "So in the meantime just be the same goofy dad everyone knows and let everything run its course." He added. "Of course, why didn't I realize this sooner! Unless he goes to hell or is devoured by a hollow I will see him again, and even if the other two instances happen instead, well I doubt his power could still function beyond hell's gate, and if he's devoured by a hollow his power would also fade!" He thought as he continued walking.

"Well at any rate Ichigo I'll be leaving now, just make me proud here okay?" Isshin called after Ichigo, and when Ichigo responded with just a wave Isshin took his leave as well.

Before Ichigo could make it to Squad Four he ran into Isane. "Oh Mr. Kurosaki good morning, but, um, your evaluation was supposed to be yesterday was it not?" She asked timidly.

"Well yeah, but I was actually coming to see if I could get some hangover medicine for Rukia, she's got a really nasty hangover, but luckily mine isn't severe enough to keep me bedridden." Ichigo replied.

"Well you didn't have to go anywhere for that… Didn't Captain Unohana rest at the Kuchiki Manor last night?" Isane asked, but Ichigo gave her a blank stare.

"You mean to tell me that I went on this walk for nothing?" Ichigo asked as a wave of irritation overcame him.

"Well I could give you some medicine to take back with you, I mean there's a chance Captain Unohana is still asleep, and even if she's awake there's still the possibility that she doesn't have her medicine bag." Isane stated as she pulled out three capsules from a bottle she pulled out of her pocket. "One for you, and the other two are for Rukia. Now I need to get to work, just take care Mr. Kurosaki." She stated kindly before heading off.

Ichigo wasted no time in returning to the manor, and when he arrived he promptly gave Rukia the medicine before taking his own capsule, and within a half an hour the two were feeling perfectly fine. When the two entered the kitchen they found Byakuya sipping tea with Unohana. "Good morning, how are you two feeling?" Unohana asked with a warm smile.

"Great now that the medicine finally kicked in." Rukia replied as she took her normal seat.

"What medicine?" Unohana asked with a slightly confused look on her face.

"Well before I could find out that you stayed here last night I went to get some medicine for Rukia because her hangover was pretty bad, and that's when I ran into Isane and she gave me the medicine!" Ichigo exclaimed and everyone shot him an intrigued look. "What?" He asked bluntly.

"You seem to be in a rather good mood for only talking to Isane… Something happened between you two didn't it?" Rukia asked as she studied Ichigo closely.

"Huh? Oh, no, the reason I'm in a good mood is that I ran into my dad before running into Isane." Ichigo replied and Rukia nearly spat out her tea.

"You saw your father? You didn't have to fight him did you?" Rukia asked with a hint of concern in her voice.

"No, he gave me a few tidbits of information that has everything looking up as far as my situation goes." Ichigo replied.

"What did he say?" Unohana asked as she pulled her notepad out of her pocket.

"Well first, as of yesterday morning around five fifteen I officially died." Ichigo stated proudly, but the others didn't seem to share his perception of the event. "Well then he told me some things that made me realize some very great news about my friends back home." He continued.

"Your friends are remorseful that they pushed you away now that you have died?" Byakuya asked.

"Nope." Ichigo replied bluntly.

"Tsukishima's power finally wore off?" Rukia asked with a slightly excited smile.

"Ha, not a chance." Ichigo replied with his signature smirk.

"If you're going to tell me that you've decided to fight against your friends I must insist that it is a poor choice for the course of your future." Unohana stated sternly.

"You're joking right? Look the thing is my friends hate me because Tsukishima was killed, but the thing we haven't been paying much attention to is that he died." Ichigo replied, but his explanation was met with blank stares. "Well I thought I might have to spell it out for Rukia, but I thought two captains would pick up on what I was getting at." He stated, and the other three shot him a glare. "Alright the thing is Tsukishima was a living human, and what happens to a living human when they die? They become a soul, and now that he is a soul, he's either going to change into a hollow, get eaten by a hollow, sent to hell, or best yet, sent here." He explained and instantly Rukia looked horrified.

"But Ichigo how would Tsukishima coming to the Soul Society be a good thing?" Rukia asked.

"Simple, he comes here and I smack him around endlessly, or until he either tells me how to undo his ability or undoes it himself!" Ichigo exclaimed triumphantly.

"Of course! I see your reasoning, a direct confrontation against Tsukishima now may shed light onto the questions we have regarding his ability." Unohana added on, but shortly after Unohana noticed something different about Ichigo. "Ichigo I think the restrictions I gave you will no longer be necessary… I can see in your eyes that same passion I saw back when you were about to join the fight against Aizen, and I think I can safely say that you are perfectly fit for any and all aspects of a Soul Reaper's way of life. Congratulations Ichigo." She stated proudly.

Later that night there was a massive party at the Kuchiki Manor to celebrate that Ichigo's mental condition was officially back to how it should be. Ichigo found a new resolve, a new reason to keep fighting, and most importantly a new reason to want to see his friends again.

In the coming year Ichigo and Rukia had some ups and downs in their relationship, but after dating for eleven months Ichigo had saved up quite a decent amount of kan, and on the anniversary of his escape into Soul Society he purchased an engagement ring and proposed to Rukia. Following the announcement of the engagement things seemed to get a little rockier and Unohana suggested that Ichigo make a hard decision to transfer to a different squad, and three weeks after he proposed Ichigo transferred to Squad Nine, but that's not to say it was a bad choice, upon joining with Squad Nine he was given the position of lieutenant with Shuhei Hisagi as captain.

Eight months following his ascension to the rank of lieutenant, Ichigo began to sense the presence of more hollows that no one else seemed to notice, and quite frankly it unnerved him, and finally he went to see Unohana. "So tell me Ichigo, what seems to be the problem now?" Unohana asked with a warm smile.

"Well I just want to make sure my head is alright, I mean sometimes I can sense hollows that no one else can, but as soon as they show up they vanish… Has this ever happened to other Soul Reapers?" Ichigo asked as Unohana pulled out a device that Ichigo wondered if it came from Squad Twelve.

"Well let me take a look." Unohana stated as she put on what appeared to be a gold rimmed monocle with a red lens. "Oh my…" She stated in a sorrowful tone of voice.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Ichigo asked as his fear intensified.

"Well, I have to ask, before you lost your powers you could have been classified as a Visored correct?" Unohana asked, and Ichigo nodded his head. "Oh well then there's no major problem, but when you regained your power your hollow came back with it minus your control over it. Though if you're only sensing its presence while it's made no attempt to possess you, there could be a small chance that it is weaker or might not have an interest in you at all. Still I would like for you and Captain Kuchiki to take a small trip to the world of the living, I'm aware that there are others like you there that may be better suited to helping you regain control over your hollow." She explained, but a look of concern covered Ichigo's face.

"Would it be wrong of me to visit a few others while I'm there? I know I might be jeopardizing my own safety, but I want to see how everyone's doing." Ichigo explained.

"Ichigo I must advise against that, seeing your old friends might excite your inner hollow, and you told me in one of our sessions that the girl Orihime in her desperation forced you to become a complete hollow for a few minutes. I wouldn't be surprised if something similar happened again." Unohana warned.

"I understand your concern, but trust me, I know my body and my hollow well enough to know what my limits are, and I've noticed that in the past the less spiritual energy I expend the less active it is." Ichigo replied. "I know I can do this, but I need to know when I'll be leaving." He stated, and reluctantly Unohana signed off on his medical file before giving him a concerned grin.

"Be careful Ichigo, you may be strong even now, but you are only one person and your friends are strong too, if they outnumber you there may not be any reinforcements for days, so no matter what, stay on guard." Unohana stated sternly. "Now take this note to Captain Kuchiki and he'll take care of the rest." She finished as she wrote a note out.

"Very well, but I must ask, why Captain Kuchiki?" Ichigo asked.

"Well now that you mention it, you might as well bring your captain and Renji along with you, and I'm sure if you sent a request to Squad Thirteen for some aid in this they may be willing to provide substantial assistance." Unohana stated.

"Right so about the departure?" Ichigo asked.

"Well there are some changes that are currently being made to the positioning of various Soul Reapers in the living world, so once that's all over with you should be good for travel, but in about four months." Unohana stated and a smirk permeated Ichigo's mouth.

"Four months? How fitting." Ichigo thought as he left the Squad Four barracks.

For Ichigo four months passed in almost no time at all, and before he knew it he was standing in Urahara's underground training field. "Welcome everyone I trust you all had a safe trip down here." Urahara stated casually with Tessai, Jinta, and Ururu standing not far behind.

"Yeah it's all fun, but what am I doing here, and why is this little dork here too?" Sentaro asked irritably.

"Well if you must know he originally wanted Rukia to come, but Rukia was already busy with her own mission, and so you and I were sent in her place." Kiyone barked. "Also Rukia is going to be coming in a few days to relieve us, so just chill out okay." She continued as she got in Sentaro's face.

"Calm down you two, we have a very important mission here and we'll need to stay sharp." Hisagi stated before the group headed up into the shop.

"So let's get this over with." Ichigo stated irritably as Ururu set out some tea for the guests.

"Right well before we can get on to that I must say it's nice to see you again Ichigo." Urahara stated casually. "Now on to more disturbing matters… Ichigo Karakura Town has seen some drastic changes in the past couple of years. All in all the scenery is still the same, but this place has become a training ground to help humans harness and control their spiritual powers." He continued as he pulled the tip of his hat down.

"That's all fine and dandy, but what I'm here for is to see Shinji and the other Visoreds." Ichigo barked.

"Very well then Ichigo I'll let you see for yourself. You can find them where they normally live, but good luck reaching them." Urahara stated with a careless smile.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ichigo asked as he stood up.

"Well in the past it was protocol to have at least one Soul Reaper stationed in various areas of the living world, but tell me Ichigo, in a spiritually charged area like Karakura, do you feel any Soul Reaper reiatsus aside from the ones in this room?" Urahara asked.

Ichigo concentrated for a second. "Across town I can feel the Visoreds, and then there's dad's and Karin, and Chad and Orihime too, and Uryu, but there are several more I can't recognize… Still other than us here, my dad, and the Visoreds, there are no Soul Reapers in the city." He thought. "No, there are no other Soul Reapers here that don't live here, but why is it like this?" He asked.

"Well I'll let you figure that out for yourself." Urahara replied just as Tessai brought in a few very large containers into the room. "Ah thank you Tessai, if you would take a look, I've developed new gigais for all of you, of course I've added a few modifications to these ones. Most notably when you enter the body it will generate an appearance that is different from your normal look, and these have the ability to completely suppress your reiatsu. Also to leave the gigai you no longer need a mod soul, simply say expel and you'll be forced from the body." He explained.

"Well those would be nice if we had to move undetected, but for now I think the others shouldn't be too big of a problem." Ichigo replied as the other Soul Reapers stood up.

"Very well, then once again good luck." Urahara finished before the group left the building.

Upon leaving Urahara's shop the group immediately could tell that a few unfamiliar reiatsus had changed direction and were heading directly for them. "Ichigo are any of them from any of your friends?" Byakuya asked as he gripped the handle of his zanpakuto.

"No, but then again they might be. If anyone here in the living world has developed a way to allow someone with out spiritual energy to acquire it, then it could be anyone." Ichigo replied as he drew Zangetsu off his back. "Though either way, there's almost a guarantee that whoever's coming this way is hostile." He continued, but as soon as he finished speaking, the group could sense that almost everyone else with a trace of reiatsu had diverted themselves to intercept the Soul Reapers.

"Captain Kuchiki, I think the actions taken two years ago has made us all enemies of the living. It may be best if we all split up." Hisagi stated as he drew his zanpakuto.

"Very well Captain Hisagi, though if a situation seems hopeless I want the Soul Reaper to run rather than fight." Byakuya stated, and with just a nod the group split up.

Byakuya and Renji wasted no time evacuating the area, but after only a few moments they stopped in downtown Karakura. "Captain do you feel that?" Renji asked before several arrows rained down from the sky.

After dodging the volley of arrows Byakuya looked up from their point of origin, but much to Renji's surprise the arrows were not shot from Uryu, but instead a girl slightly younger than Ichigo was aiming a Quincy Bow down at them. "So it seems Ichigo's old friends have been busy." Byakuya stated as he narrowed his eyes up at the Quincy. "Child I must warn you that your intentions of facing me in battle are ill-conceived, and will accomplish little more than hastening your death." He called up to the girl as she simply smirked at Byakuya before jumping down to the ground.

"Ill-conceived? You make it sound like I've already lost." The Quincy replied. "Though make no mistake, I know very well how dangerous Soul Reapers are, but I'm not worried. Judging on your appearance I'm going to say your Byakuya Kuchiki correct? Captain of the Court Guard Squad Six?" She asked and Renji's eyes widened.

"Captain it would appear that they know all about us." Renji stated.

"I see…" Byakuya stated as he drew Senbonzakura. "Renji I want you to proceed without me. Things will get out of control quickly. Now go." He continued before Renji nodded and fled. "Now then, you know who I am, I believe I at least deserve the courtesy of a name." He stated.

"No! The only courtesy a Soul Reaper deserves is a slow and painful death! Now prepare to die!" The Quincy shouted before firing another volley of arrows at Byakuya.

"I'll have you know child that whether you're alive or not makes no difference in the end. I will not fall to a lowly Quincy, least of all one with a laughable reiatsu. Scatter, Senbonzakura." Byakuya stated calmly, and for a few seconds the Quincy gave him a confused look, but a moment later the look turned to horror before a fountain of blood erupted from the girl's body. "Now one of your allies should be along momentarily, I suggest you stay motionless until they arrive." He finished before moving on.

Meanwhile, Ichigo and Hisagi had split up as several fullbringers chased them down. "This is ridiculous, how could things change this drastically in this short of time?" Hisagi wondered as he dodged a manhole cover flying at him like a Frisbee. "Well looks like I have little choice in the matter." He thought as he drew his zanpakuto. "Reap, Kazeshini!" He shouted. "Now to give these idiots a taste of what real power is." He thought, but before he could get in an attack, he was hit from behind by a flying bus that succeeded in swatting him through several buildings.

Several blocks down Ichigo could feel the reiatsu of Hisagi drop drastically. "Whew, he's still in there, but I know that Chad's reiatsu spiked significantly just now." He thought as he hid out suppressing his reiatsu. "Though seriously I recognize a lot of these people. Just what are they thinking though, surely Uryu and the others told them about the obvious gaps that would exist between our strengths." He thought as he let out a deep sigh. "Well I still have quite a ways to go before I meet up with Shinji and the others." He thought, but then his eyes widened when he felt the presence of a hollow all around him.

"Well look what we have here, you claim that your strength is superior, but if that's the case why are you hiding in some dingy alley?" The voice calling out from within Ichigo's mind was more than what Ichigo felt like dealing with amidst the chaos that was quickly consuming Karakura.

"So you really are back, well don't get too comfortable." Ichigo replied as he walked further down the alley. "Though this is bad, having joined one of the squads they put that seal on me, and while normally these people would be a joke to even consider fighting, with a limiter on my reiatsu I'm kind of struggling." He thought, but the sudden presence of an overwhelming reiatsu made his blood run cold.

"So you have the audacity to return here. Well I will not let you leave this place Ichigo!" It was none other than Orihime, but Ichigo couldn't react, he was a deer in the headlights, and he couldn't think. "Tsubaki! Koten Zanshun, I reject!" She shouted, and finally Ichigo snapped back to his senses and was able to just barely dodge Tsubaki.

"Orihime stop this! I don't want to fight, do you?" Ichigo pleaded as he dodged Tsubaki a few more times.

"Ichigo your excuse for friends killed someone that helped you to do amazing things in the past, or did you forget that you both took on Byakuya Kuchiki to save Rukia, or that he gave you knowledge of the final Getsuga Tensho? How can you defend those Soul Reapers after what they've done!" Orihime shouted.

"Orihime think about it! Have any of the Soul Reapers ever attacked any of you for no reason?" Ichigo asked.

"Well no, but they did bate several hollows to the house where Uryu's grandpa lived. They brought about his death mercilessly! How can any of us feel safe knowing your kind does what it does? Just because we haven't been hunted down yet doesn't mean you won't in the future… of course that must be why you're here!" Orihime exclaimed.

"No! I swear I would never hurt any of you! Why won't you listen to me?" Ichigo asked.

"Ichigo it's been quite some time so you must not be aware that this girl has gotten pretty stubborn lately." A familiar voice called from further down the alley. "So yeah talking's basically useless, allow me to handle her though, and then we can go somewhere else and catch up." The man continued and when he stepped out of the shadows Ichigo's eyes widened.

"Shinji!" Ichigo exclaimed.

"And here I was beginning to wonder if he'd ever be happy to see me." Shinji replied with a touched smile. "Now then on to more important matters, collapse, Sakanade." He continued. "Well pretty soon here this battle will be over, why don't you go on ahead and let the others know I'll be back shortly." He added on.

"Shinji, if you harm her you'll be fighting me next." Ichigo stated sternly.

"Don't worry, I'll have her quit early on." Shinji replied, and with only a nod Ichigo ran past Shinji. "Now then little missy why don't you just run back to where you belong, these Soul Reapers aren't here for the usual business, but what they are here for I doubt you'll want to be a part of." He added as Sakanade began to spin releasing a pink mist.

"What is this?" Orihime called out in fear as everything she was seeing was inverted.

"It's the inverted world, front and back, up and down, left and right, all of them are inverted for you." Shinji stated casually.

"For me you say?" Orihime asked as a smirk spread over her face. "Tsubaki, Koten Zanshun, I reject!" She shouted, and Shinji's eyes widened as he barely dodged the attack.

"How is this possible? You had to have been affected by the power of Sakanade's Sakasama no Sekai, so how can you still attack?" Shinji asked, but then he narrowed his eyes on Tsubaki as he returned to the hairpin. "I think I get it, those hairpins have individual spirits inside them, but how many are there?" He wondered. "Well there are other ways to end this battle in a nonviolent way." He thought as he resealed his zanpakuto before returning it to its scabbard. "Now let's see if I can remember correctly… Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini! Look upon yourself with horror and then claw out your own throat! Bakudo number nine! Geki!" He shouted and a red light seemed to envelope Orihime.

"I… I can't move." Orihime stated in horror.

"I'm surprised you can still talk." Shinji retorted. "Do me a favor girl, tell your friends to back down if they value their lives. I respect Ichigo enough that I agreed not to harm you because I know how good of friends you once were, but make no mistake if I come across another of you and I don't recognize them, I will attack with extreme prejudice." He warned before leaving Orihime behind.

Meanwhile Hisagi managed to give his pursuers the slip as he hid in an abandoned house. "Well it seems Ichigo has made contact with the Visoreds, but Captain Kuchiki and Lieutenant Abarai are still fending off attacks from humans, but where did the other two go?" He wondered as he peered out one of the front windows. "Damn there are just too many humans with power for me to go through… Maybe I should request a Gentei Kaijo." He thought as he pulled out his soul pager.

When Ichigo arrived at the warehouse where he trained nearly four years earlier he wasted no time in explaining the situation to the Visoreds, and immediately got to work on once again suppressing the hollow within him, though this time it only took an hour, and more to the point, Ichigo's body didn't even break free of the hold bakudo number seventy-five had on him. "Well you seem to have improved a lot since we last saw you Ichigo." Hachi stated calmly.

"Improved my ass! If that was the case he wouldn't have had to see us again for this!" Hiyori shouted.

"Well as much as I'd like to stay and catch up on old times, my teammates need me to get back out there!" Ichigo exclaimed before donning his hollow mask for the first time in nearly four years. "Right, now to get everyone gathered up and return to Soul Society." He thought as he sped across the city as fast as he could towards his captain. Though before Ichigo could close the distance he was cut off by a large fireball that he was barely able to dodge. "Great, more problems…" He uttered, but when he looked for the source of the attack his eyes widened when his sights fell upon his younger sister Karin.

"That's far… Wait what are you!" Karin shouted upon noticing Ichigo's mask.

"Wait, does she not recognize me with this mask on?" Ichigo wondered as he looked up at his sister.

"I said what are you, hollow or Soul Reaper!" Karin shouted down at Ichigo, but a second later Ichigo was blindsided by another attack.

"Ugh, damn I was so caught up in my own thoughts that I didn't even notice anyone else approaching." Ichigo thought as he climbed to his feet, and standing several feet ahead of him was none other than Chad.

"It's been a while Ichigo." Chad stated calmly.

Ichigo stood there calmly before noticing the black poppy on the back of his left hand vanished, and a second later he felt his own power surging up from within him. "So the Gentei Kaijo has been approved, well this makes things slightly easier, but fighting Chad is one thing, but adding Karin to the mix… Damn you Tsukishima!" He thought as he drew his zanpakuto.

"Wait you mean that thing is Ichigo?" Karin asked as she glanced between Chad and her brother.

"Chad, I want you to tell my sister to get as far away from here as possible." Ichigo stated sternly.

"Wait I don't have to listen to you!" Karin shouted, but Chad shook his head.

"Karin it would be wise to listen to Ichigo on this one. Whether or not you two get along isn't the issue here, Ichigo's power just skyrocketed and I'm not sure how long I'll be able to fend against his attacks, but if I'm concerned for your safety both of us will only get killed." Chad explained as his arms transformed.

"Fine, let me find Uryu and Orihime, and then the three of you can fight him together." Karin stated as she ran off.

As Ichigo held his ground he could feel several unfamiliar reiatsus fading against the overwhelming reiatsus of his fellow Soul Reapers, and while it didn't take long for Ichigo to feel Orihime and Uryu speeding towards them, Ichigo was relieved at the fact that Renji was also heading in his direction, but more than that, Ichigo no longer felt the presences of Kiyone or Sentaro, but instead he could tell that Rukia had just arrived. "Well Chad I'm ready whenever you are, but if you want to wait for everyone else to arrive be my guest." He stated calmly before tightening his grip on Zangetsu.

"So Rukia and Renji are also coming to join our battle. Well Ichigo I never imagined your jealousy toward Shukuro would push you this far that you would even subject yourself to influencing Rukia and Renji to betray him. I once respected you Ichigo, but it seems as though I was mistaken." Chad stated solemnly before the others arrived simultaneously.

"If that is how you truly feel then the time for talk is over… Bankai!" Ichigo shouted as he prepared to face off against the very people he at one time would have given everything he was to protect.

Chapter 4 end - So I know I said I would take a hiatus for a while but writers block made me reread everything I've ever written, I was searching for even the slightest ounce of inspiration, well I eventually reread the first four chapters of this fic and it got me motivated again so here it is, this is actually a two part chapter, so yeah… Reviews please, and I'll make the wait shorter next time.

(Shunpo back to work finally, whoo!)

Disclaimer: I do not own bleach except for the bottle that says Clorox on the side.


	5. Home Part 2

**Chapter 5: Home Part 2**

"Ichigo are you forgetting what you yourself said?" Rukia asked as she poised herself for battle.

"No I remember perfectly, but given the situation I doubt that it will matter." Ichigo replied as Renji alternated a confused glance between the two.

"Rukia am I missing something?" Renji asked oblivious to how Ichigo was dealing with his loss of friends.

"I'll explain later, for now we'll need to finish this quickly." Ichigo blurted out.

"So you are prepared to attempt to finish what you started then?" Uryu asked as he narrowed his eyes on Ichigo.

"Uryu! Do you really think Ichigo would turn on you all like that!?" Renji shouted as he drew his zanpakuto.

"Well you merciless Soul Reapers have him brainwashed." Orihime stated.

"Like hell they do!" Ichigo shouted bitterly.

"Hey you can't talk to her like that!" Uryu shouted.

"Can it before you really piss me off!" Ichigo shouted back.

"Ichigo, are you really that intent on fighting us?" Chad asked with a firm resolve in his eyes.

"I'm intent on doing what I must." Ichigo replied just as Karin returned with a few other friends Ichigo left behind.

"Chad, Uryu, Orihime, I'm back, and I brought Tatsuki and Keigo." Karin stated, but the sight of more of his friends coming to fight him left a bad taste in Ichigo's mouth.

"Karin, Tatsuki, Keigo, you would be wise to flee." Rukia stated sternly.

"Rukia!? Not you too!" Keigo shouted in despair.

"We aren't afraid of you Rukia!" Tatsuki shouted.

"Enough! Hado number one! Sho!" Hisagi shouted from a side street before his kido slammed the six humans off of their feet. "Ichigo, Renji, Rukia, we're leaving! That's an order!" He shouted before he, Rukia, and Renji vanished, but Ichigo hesitated for a moment before following after them.

"Damn, they got away!" Karin growled.

"No, they spared us… That fourth one, he was a captain, and they're known for their strength and cunning in battle." Chad explained.

"You're wrong Chad, they didn't spare us, they insulted us. They don't even see us as worth the trouble." Uryu stated as he helped Orihime to her feet.

Meanwhile the group of Soul Reapers hastily returned to Urahara's shop. "God, I can't believe they were that serious about fighting us." Renji stated as he sat down at the small wooden table.

"I tried telling you, but no-one listens to the man that knows everything." Urahara stated as Ichigo stared intently at the gigais.

"Urahara, you say these will change our appearance?" Ichigo asked.

"Yup!" Urahara explained.

"Good, I'm going back out… There are still some things I need to look into." Ichigo replied.

"Ichigo that wouldn't be a good idea… We've done what we came here for, now we should head back." Hisagi stated as he narrowed his eyes on his lieutenant.

"I don't care, I need to do this." Ichigo replied sternly.

"Ichigo, I believe that while this is something you may need for yourself, I believe the answers you'll find will only bring you more pain." Byakuya replied.

"You don't think I know that?" Ichigo asked as he turned to see that everyone had a concerned look on their face. "I… This is something I have to do… Forgive me." He stated as he entered the gigai, and immediately he changed in appearance, his eyes were no longer amber, and his hair no longer orange, but instead he had green eyes, and silver hair. "I'll be back before long." He finished, but Rukia held him up.

"If you insist on going, then I'm coming too!" Rukia exclaimed before entering her gigai, and like Ichigo, her appearance changed, and she appeared as though she could pass as Tatsuki's twin. "Byakuya, we'll be back before long." She stated as she followed Ichigo when he left the shop.

As the two began to walk they were eager to take in the sights of the town, and before long they found themselves at the park where Ichigo fought his first Menos Grande. After the park they soon found themselves in Ichigo's old neighborhood, and they decided to stop in at the clinic. "What will we say?" Rukia asked.

"Look, call me Kenji, you'll be Sakura, and when I knock on the door I want you to act like you have a severe headache." Ichigo explained and Rukia flashed him an impressed smile before he knocked on the door to the clinic.

"Can we help… Oh, are you alright?" It was Yuzu that answered the door, and much to Ichigo's relief the disguises were working like a charm.

"My wife, she has a very bad headache, but we have no car, and the hospital is too far away, please you have to help her, Sakura is everything to me!" Ichigo exclaimed as he put on his act.

"Oh, well come on in, Dad! We have an emergency!" Yuzu called out before Isshin appeared in the doorway.

"Right, Yuzu bring her with us, as for you, make yourself comfortable, and leave everything to us." Isshin stated with a wink making Ichigo wonder if he saw through the disguise.

As Ichigo watched Rukia walk off with his dad and sister, he couldn't help but worry if Rukia could keep up her role. "Rukia…" He uttered under his breath.

"Did you say Rukia?" Karin asked from behind, and Ichigo's heart skipped a beat as he began to panic before a brilliant idea came to mind.

"Well I was a classmate of hers for a while, and I really liked her, and I also overheard her tell that Ichigo guy that she used to live at a clinic and I was just wondering if this was the one." Ichigo lied.

"Oh, for a second there I thought you might be one of… Oh well, never mind I don't want to bother you with those details." Karin replied as Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief.

"So did she live here, or is there another clinic?" Ichigo asked as he followed Karin into the living room.

"Well she did, but you seem awfully concerned about Rukia for someone with a wife." Karin pointed out.

"Well… Don't tell her this, but Rukia was my first love." Ichigo lied as he sat down in a chair. "Hmm? Photos of the family?" He asked as he picked up a picture frame. "I'm jealous… I don't get along well with my family, so I haven't seen family photos in so long, and Sakura hates having her picture taken." he continued. "Hey, why's the boy's picture scribbled out?" He asked.

"Oh, that's Ichigo, he's become a disgrace in this town." Karin replied.

"Why do you say that? I mean he is your brother isn't he?" Ichigo asked not sure if he wanted to hear her thoughts on the matter.

"Well he helped kill a friend of the family, of course he didn't take the life himself, and so he couldn't be arrested for the crime, but we will never forgive him for helping that bastard gang of murderers kill Shukuro." Karin replied.

"Don't you think that's just a little unfair to him? I had a couple of sisters that I adored before I became at odds with my family, but if this Ichigo fellow is anything like me, then he probably cares a lot about you, so why are you so quick to choose a bond of friendship over your family bond?" Ichigo asked.

"Well simple, Ichigo doesn't see us that way, and he'd kill us if he didn't think himself above us." Karin stated.

"Surely you can't believe that?" Ichigo asked as his heart sank.

"Sure I do, Shukuro told me he was falling in with a bad crowd that would only want him to kill us, and well he's joined that gang now." Karin replied.

Ichigo couldn't reply after that, and for a half an hour they sat in silence before Isshin lead Yuzu and Rukia into the living room. "Well she's all better. Would you two like to stay?" Isshin asked.

"N-no, we couldn't." Ichigo replied embarrassedly.

"Nonsense, I remember before my idiot son and his friend fell in with that gang it was so lively around this place. It'd be nice to go back to that… What do you say?" Isshin asked as a cocky smirk permeated his lips.

"Sakura?" Ichigo asked.

"Well it is pretty late Kenji, maybe we should accept their offer." Rukia replied with a warm smile.

"Fine, but they sleep in Ichigo's room." Karin stated.

That night as Ichigo and Rukia laid awake in Ichigo's old bed they both felt an overwhelming awkwardness. "This feels weird." Rukia stated quietly as she turned toward Ichigo. "I don't think I'll be able to get to sleep tonight." She stated.

"I know… Honestly I wasn't expecting them to act so casual, I mean I know we're in disguise, but I figured they'd pick up on either of our mannerisms. I mean we're lucky they didn't, but it kind of disappoints me to know they didn't." Ichigo explained.

"Oh… Well I was talking about the current situation… We're sharing your old bed." Rukia stated as her face slightly pinked. "Ichigo, we can't do much of anything back home until we're married, but we aren't home right now." She continued, and Ichigo started to blush.

"Rukia, are you sure you want to?" Ichigo asked, and Rukia merely gave him a seductive smile.

After an hour the two disguised Soul Reapers were panting heavily. "Ichigo… That was amazing…" Rukia uttered breathlessly.

"Well you were really great too…" Ichigo stated, but he quickly held his breath when he heard a knock at the door.

"Ichigo, I need to speak to you." Isshin called from the other side.

"What! How did they find out!?" Rukia whispered in horror.

"Relax, I think he knew from the moment he saw us arrive… I can also safely say he wouldn't expose us in front of the girls, so stay here, but if you sense my reiatsu peak I want you to get out of here." Ichigo explained as he got dressed before leaving the room.

"We'll talk downstairs." Isshin stated quietly as he led Ichigo down into the kitchen.

"What's this about?" Ichigo asked.

"Well I was concerned… You're a fool if you don't think I noticed you today. I just want to know how you're feeling after seeing your sisters." Isshin stated with a solemn expression.

"Well, while it hurts to hear them refer to me so negatively, I am relieved to see that otherwise they are doing great." Ichigo replied. "Dad, can I ask you something… Why are there so many humans trying to gain power?" He asked as he rubbed his eyes.

"Well… I don't know much being as how no-one can know I'm like you, but the thing is… I overheard Karin on the phone a while back, and I guess they're planning on a trip to the Soul Society." Isshin replied, and Ichigo cringed at the thought. Here in the human world he may have been successful in influencing the others not to fight seriously, but Soul Society would be a completely different story when the humans would be regarded as intruders.

"Dad, if Karin and the others come to Soul Society, they will be targets of execution. As I'm sure you know there is a captain that has a stealth force of assassins known as the Onmitsukido, and they won't care that other Soul Reapers value their lives." Ichigo replied. "And don't even get me started on how bad Captain Kurotsuchi wants to study a fullbringer." He continued as a grim expression covered his face.

"I'm aware of that, but Ichigo, you don't need to worry, Urahara keeps giving them the run around. He won't let them enter Soul Society. Though Ryuken Ishida, is a different story. I heard from Urahara that Uryu's been trying to get his father to help in the matter." Isshin replied.

"Damn… Is there anyway you could intervene?" Ichigo asked, and Isshin gave him a smirk.

"Don't you think I'm already working on that?" Isshin asked confidently.

"I'm glad to hear it. I don't know what I'd do if I had to lose everyone all over again." Ichigo replied.

"I know what you mean, but Ichigo there's something else… I've felt the presence of a lot of hollows in the city recently, but the thing is they don't seem intent on causing trouble. I haven't had a chance to look into it yet, but I think there may be some serious implications from there presence. Namely that the humans are siding with the hollows." Isshin stated.

"Why!? How could Orihime, Chad, or Uryu even think about going to them for help!?" Ichigo asked with a raised voice.

"Ichigo calm down, I was mere putting the worst case scenario out there. Though it is still in fact a possibility, and the hollows are all pretty strong." Isshin stated.

"Tsukishima… If that bastard has influenced them to seek help from the hollows, I will seriously make him suffer… Wait, of course I nearly forgot! Dad has Tsukishima's soul been in contact with any of the others?" Ichigo asked.

"Well now that you mention it, I think I've sensed his presence near Orihime's house a few times." Isshin replied.

"How long ago?" Ichigo asked.

"Well it's been a few weeks… Though if he sticks true to the pattern he should be visiting her tomorrow." Isshin replied, but a moment later the two were distracted when they felt the rapid approach of several high reiatsus.

"What now?" Ichigo uttered as Karin came running down the stairs.

"And what do you think you're doing?" Isshin asked as he glared at his daughter.

"Sorry dad, but I wouldn't expect you to understand." Karin stated with a glare of her own as she hastily put her shoes on.

"Karin! Your dad asked you a question." Ichigo barked.

"So what? And since when is it the business of guests in this house?" Karin stated as she opened the door to allow Chad, Uryu, Orihime, and Tatsuki to enter the house.

Ichigo watched as the five began to converse. "So we're leaving tonight. My father has finished the method of travel that will allow us to bypass the Dongai Precipice World." Uryu explained.

"You're foolish!" Ichigo shouted catching several puzzled looks as Rukia came down the stairs.

"What are you talking about?" Orihime asked as Uryu narrowed his eyes on Ichigo.

"Oh don't mind him, Kenji's not involved." Karin stated, but a second later Uryu drew his bow on Ichigo.

"Who are you?" Uryu barked.

"Uryu, we don't attack humans!" Orihime stated desperately.

"I don't think he is a human, he knows what the Dongai Precipice World is." Uryu stated.

"Tch, well I guess the cat's out of the bag." Ichigo stated before giving Karin a soft smile. "I'm glad to have had a civil talk with you tonight, it's been a real treat, but alas I can't hold up my charade any longer. Rukia now! Expel!" He exclaimed before revealing himself to the others.

"Right, expel!" Rukia followed his example.

"N-no way!" Karin stated breathlessly as a horrified look covered her face. "They were here the whole time?" She uttered as Uryu fired several arrows that Ichigo deflected with Zangetsu.

"I will not stand by and watch as you recklessly throw your lives away!" Ichigo shouted as he blocked an attack from Chad.

"Hey, I know they're the enemies, but we can't drag Yuzu into this!" Karin exclaimed as a halt came to the fight.

"Tch, she's right." Uryu stated as he dispersed his bow.

"Why would you be foolish enough to enter Soul Society?" Ichigo asked, and a wave of horror spread over Rukia at the thought of having to watch her friends fight the other Soul Reapers.

"Why? Because you killed our friend that's why!" Uryu shouted.

"Why you-" Ichigo was interrupted by Rukia.

"Ichigo! Don't worry… They won't come." Rukia replied.

"Oh really? And are you going to stop us Kuchiki?" Uryu asked irritably.

"No, but I just know you won't. Unlike last time you have no noble goal in mind in the point of view of a Soul Reaper, and therefore you won't receive any help from Yoruichi nor Urahara, and unlike last time, there is no threat of Aizen's circumstance to deter the full attention of every captain. While it didn't matter to you before things this time around will have changed drastically, and as such you'll have no hope of leaving. Even then…" Rukia paused as she let a rush of power flow from her body. "Anyone who wishes to attack Ichigo will be met with a reckoning they've never thought possible." She stated. "For two years he's been tormented by how things ended, and I refuse to watch him go through that again!" She shouted as she drew Sode no Shirayuki.

"Rukia, let's go, we need to prepare for the invasion. It's obvious to me your words fall on…" Ichigo trailed off as he felt a familiar reiatsu that pasted a smirk on his face. "Tsukishima." He stated in a tone of satisfaction.

"What!? Uryu, didn't you tell him to avoid using his ability for the time being?" Orihime asked, and the smirk faded from Ichigo's face.

"So the bastard is still using it huh?" Ichigo wondered. "Rukia I need to face him, go on without me!" He shouted before rushing past the others.

"What!? I don't think so!" Uryu shouted as he raced after Ichigo aided by Hirenkyaku.

As soon as Ichigo left the house he had entered an obstacle course of sorts as he had countless arrows flying his direction from Quincys that had been attracted by the feel of his reiatsu. "Damn, they're not going to make this easy." He thought as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop while he homed in on the location where he had sensed Tsukishima. Though by the time he managed to arrive, Tsukishima had vanished, but in his place were several fullbringers. "Damn, this is bad." He thought as he looked back at the Quincys closing in on him, and moments later he found himself completely surrounded.

"It's over Ichigo!" Uryu shouted as he glared daggers at Ichigo.

As Ichigo held his ground he couldn't think of any way out of his predicament. "Damn this is really bad." He thought as he tightened his grip on Zangetsu.

Just as things seemed their worst he was relieved when he felt a somewhat familiar reiatsu appear not too far from where he was, but a confident grin slowly formed when he felt another reiatsu appear followed by one he knew all too well. "Reduce all creation to ashes, Ryujin Jakka!" Yamamoto bellowed when he appeared in front of Ichigo.

"Old man…" Ichigo uttered as Yamamoto held his ground just as Soifon arrived followed by Kyoraku. "Everyone, what are you all doing here?" He asked as his eyes widened.

"We're here to bring you back for insubordination by refusing an order from your captain." Yamamoto replied irritably.

"That's right Ichigo, now sting your enemies to death, Suzumebachi!" Soifon called out.

"Yup, and don't worry about that guy Shukuro Tsukishima, we've already dealt with him." Kyoraku stated with a grin as he drew his zanpakutos.

"Fall back!" Uryu called out as a glare covered his face.

"But Uryu, there are only four of them, even if they are captains we should be able to overwhelm them!" One of the fullbringers called out.

"No! If you stay here you'll die." Yamamoto warned them as the flames intensified.

"Like we're really scared of some old man!" A Quincy called out before Soifon struck him in the chest. "Wha-what is this!?" He cried out as a butterfly appeared on his chest.

"All you need to know is that you don't want another. Now leave us!" Soifon shouted before the crowd of humans began to flee.

"Ichigo, your return to Soul Society is not up for debate." Yamamoto stated sternly as Ichigo hung his head low before Ukitake appeared with Rukia.

"Oh you found him, I'm glad." Ukitake stated in a wheeze.

"Right, now isn't it about time we went back?" Kyoraku asked, and before long the group had returned to Soul Society.

Back in the Seireitei Ichigo was being reprimanded for his insubordination. "Nothing, I repeat, nothing gives a lieutenant the right to refuse a captain's orders." Yamamoto stated. "Regardless of your own personal feelings on this matter, you should not have engaged the humans so willingly." He stated.

"But Yamamoto, the humans were and maybe still are planning on entering the Soul Society for an invasion! I just wanted to urge them not to." Ichigo replied.

"Be that as it may, you will receive a two-week suspension from squad activities, and for three years you are forbidden from entering the human world. Is that clear?" Yamamoto asked with a glare.

"Yes Head Captain." Ichigo replied before leaving Yamamoto's office.

When Ichigo left Yamamoto's office he was greeted by Rukia and Byakuya. "Do you see Ichigo, this is why you must follow your captain's orders to the letter." Byakuya stated sternly.

"Yeah I figured that was what Yamamoto was trying to say when he told me the same thing." Ichigo replied sarcastically as they made their way back to the Kuchiki manor.

"Ichigo, you are alright aren't you?" Rukia asked as a look of concern covered her face.

"Yeah, it's just… Why does a power like Tsukishima's even exist?" Ichigo asked as he grew frustrated.

"Well don't get too down, and honestly I really don't see them being foolish enough to invade the Seireitei." Rukia replied. "Now, let's go home and put this matter to rest." She finished.

"Yeah, let's go home." Ichigo thought as a calm smile spread over his face as he took Rukia's hand.

Two months following, Rukia and Ichigo had their wedding ceremony, but a few weeks later they would soon receive wonderful news. "Well Ichigo you can relax, Mrs. Kurosaki doesn't have an illness, but you are going to be dealing with her being sick for a time." Unohana stated after she finished examining Rukia.

"What do you mean?" Ichigo and Rukia asked in unison.

"Well… I don't mean to beat around the bush, but you might want to start thinking of some names." Unohana replied with a warm smile.

Ichigo and Rukia were no fools, they knew exactly what Unohana had meant by her comment, and within seven months they had a baby boy. "Well Ichigo, Yuichi seems to bear your features." Rukia pointed out as she held their son in her arms.

"Yeah, but he has your eyes." Ichigo stated as he admired his son closely.

When the two Soul Reapers finally brought Yuichi home from the hospital, it seemed as though everyday they were receiving visitors. "Well he looks like Ichigo." Kyoraku stated when he visited with Nanao.

"Well I'd say he has his mother's eyes." Nanao replied as she made a few funny faces that seemed to amuse Yuichi.

Though it was when Soifon came to pay her respects a few months later that the two parents received a great shock. "Well he isn't much to look at." Soifon stated absentmindedly.

"Captain Soifon how could you say that!?" Rukia asked in horror.

"What, I'm only being honest." Soifon replied.

"Soifon do you always have to be abrasive?" Ichigo asked.

"Hey you said you wanted my honest opinion." Soifon replied.

"Captain Sui Feng, your opinion is greatly respected, however, I believe they were expecting a compliment." Byakuya replied.

"Well what can I say? Well I have high expectations of him if that helps." Soifon stated in a panic. "I'm just not great with kids, or have you wondered why I don't have any?" She asked.

"Soifon, Soifon." The four Soul Reapers let out a gasp when they heard Yuichi utter his first recognizable word.

"What?" Ichigo and Rukia uttered in unison.

"Soifon!" Yuichi exclaimed contently forcing the strict captain to crack a smile.

"Well, he's very smart to pick up on names this early, how many words does he know?" Soifon asked as she turned to the boy's parents.

"Well, that was his first word." Ichigo replied somewhat deflated that it wasn't daddy.

During the next few years Yuichi began to grow rapidly, and in one month they had to buy him bigger clothes six times as he quickly outgrew everything.

On Ichigo's and Rukia's tenth anniversary they decided to go to a fancy restaurant, but while Ichigo didn't mind to bring Yuichi along, Rukia insisted that they find a babysitter. "Rukia are you sure about this?" Ichigo asked as they waited for the babysitter to arrive.

"Well Yuichi's too hyper for the maids and butlers to keep up with, and Byakuya is still on his mission with Renji. Besides, she's grown up a lot in recent years." Rukia replied as she put on her kimono.

"But you still haven't told me who it even is." Ichigo stated as he made sure his own black kimono was on perfect.

"That's because I knew you'd reject the idea." Rukia replied.

"You know that doesn't exactly enhance my feeling of security." Ichigo retorted as he turned to see Rukia in a stunning white kimono.

"What do you think?" Rukia asked as she spun around.

"Well, you certainly look beautiful." Ichigo replied before they heard the doorbell ring.

"Oh, she must be here. Can you make sure the maids let her in?" Rukia asked before Ichigo left the room.

When Ichigo answered the door he was somewhat horrified by the identity of the babysitter.

"Oh! Good evening Ichi, you certainly look swanky." Yachiru stated as Ichigo's eye began to twitch.

"Rukia! Were you expecting company aside from the babysitter?" Ichigo called out before Yachiru let out a few chuckles.

"Ichi I'm the babysitter!" Yachiru exclaimed as she walked past Ichigo and into the house. In recent years Yachiru did in fact grow a little older, and now she closely resembled a twelve year old girl.

"You're joking right? When's your babysitter coming along?" Ichigo asked before receiving a glare from Yachiru.

"Hey! I may be the youngest lieutenant and we may be the same rank, but I still deserve at least a little respect!" Yachiru shouted before Rukia came down with Yuichi glued to her waist.

"Momma why can't I go too?" Yuichi wined as Rukia struggled to move.

"Ichigo, a little help please." Rukia stated, but upon Yuichi noticing Yachiru, he immediately let go of his mother.

"Who is she?" Yuichi asked as he pointed at Yachiru.

"This is Lieutenant Yachiru Kusajishi, and she's going to be your babysitter tonight. I do trust that you'll behave right?" Rukia asked as he gave her son a stern look. "Now, why don't you introduce yourself?" She asked with a caring smile.

"Um, m-my name is Yuichi Kurosaki, and I am nine human years old." Yuichi replied.

"Well my name is Yachiru Kusajishi, and I hope we have a lot of fun tonight." Yachiru replied as she knelt down in front of Yuichi.

Yuichi blushed when he looked into Yachiru's eyes before retreating up to his room. "Awe, he's bashful." Rukia stated. "He must have taken a quick liking to you Yachiru." She added on making the pink haired lieutenant blush.

"Well don't you two need to be off? If it's a date you don't want to be too late otherwise the stores selling Chappy dolls will close for the night." Yachiru stated, and Ichigo shot her a glare as Rukia's eyes widened.

"Ichigo we better hurry before the stores close! Yachiru if you have any trouble just raise your reiatsu and we'll be home swiftly. Also Isane will be coming by later to check up on how things are going. Now Ichigo let's go!" Rukia exclaimed as she pulled Ichigo away.

"Whew, safe!" Yachiru thought as she heard the door close. "Hmm, but what to do about him? I don't want him to stay locked in his room all night." She thought as she looked up the stairs just before Yuichi's head peered out of his room before retreating back inside. "Well he certainly is an amusing kid. Ugh, if only I could get the guys closer to my age to fall for me as easily." She thought as she sat down on the couch. "Now what?" She uttered as a stillness set in around her. "Hey Yuichi? Hey sweetie if you're feeling hungry let me know, I doubt your parents will approve, but if you're really good I brought some candy with me, and I wouldn't mind sharing." She called up to his room.

"Candy?" Yuichi called back before poking his head out once more.

"That's right, now why don't you come on down and tell me a little bit about yourself?" Yachiru asked before Yuichi hesitantly crept down the stairs.

"Well my birthday is June twenty-second, I'm going to be a strong Soul Reaper according to Uncle Byakuya, and I've already begun training to learn shunpo." Yuichi replied.

"Really? Shunpo at such a young age? I'm impressed." Yachiru replied. "So what squad do you want to join when you grow up?" She asked as she looked down at Yuichi.

"Well I was thinking of joining Soifon's squad, number two right?' Yuichi asked as he held up two fingers.

"That's right, but why do you want to join that squad?" Yachiru asked.

"Well I've also been learning a lot from Soifon, she's almost as good a teacher as Uncle Byakuya!" Yuichi exclaimed. "She said when I get a little older I can start learning how to perform this thing called shunko!" He continued.

"I see… Well what about joining Squad Eleven? What do you think about that?" Yachiru asked with a grin.

"Hmm, well Captain Kenny is really cool!" Yuichi exclaimed, and Yachiru let out a chuckle.

"You know, that's what I call my captain, Kenny is the most important person in my life, and he really respects your dad." Yachiru replied.

Before long Yuichi had insisted in showing Yachiru his toys, and while she saw his actions as adorable she was relieved when Isane finally arrived and she had an intelligent adult to talk to. "Well he is an energetic child." Isane stated as she watched him running in circles for the fifth minute straight.

"Come on Yuichi please stop that, if you get sick your parents will kill me." Yachiru pleaded.

Before long both Soul Reapers were completely exhausted and had fallen asleep by the time Ichigo and Rukia came home to find Yuichi reading a book in front of the two girls. "Momma, Poppa, welcome back!" Yuichi exclaimed as he ran over to his parents.

"Wow, I must say I wasn't expecting Yachiru to be out cold, and Isane said that she could only stop by for a few minutes." Rukia stated before gently nudging Yachiru awake.

"Yuichi stop running!" Yachiru exclaimed sleepily as she sat up quickly.

"Wow, he out-hypered Yachiru!" Ichigo exclaimed as he watched Rukia trying to keep Yachiru awake.

"Where am I? What time is it?" Yachiru asked as she finally came to her senses. "Unh, Rukia?" She asked when she finally gained a firm grip on her surroundings.

"Well we decided to come back early, but don't worry, we aren't upset that you fell asleep on the job, and thank you for keeping the house in order." Rukia stated, and Yachiru's eyes widened to find that the house was completely clean.

"But when I sat down earlier to take a break the house was a complete disaster… Did Yuichi clean the mess himself?" Yachiru wondered as Rukia woke Isane.

"Oh no! I can't believe I fell asleep when I was supposed to spend time with Kiyone!" Isane stated, and after bidding a hasty goodbye to everyone she left for the night.

Things continued much the same way for years only changing ever slightly as the months came and went, but eventually the time came for Yuichi to enroll in the Soul Reaper Academy. "Are you excited Yuichi?" Rukia asked as he readied himself to leave the house.

"Oh hell yeah! It's about time I enrolled now hurry up you slowpokes!" Yuichi exclaimed as he finished getting ready.

"Hold your horses now." Ichigo stated with a scowl as he grabbed his zanpakuto.

When the family left the house Yuichi quickly ran off ahead using shunpo. "He sat there barking at us to hurry up, and he runs off ahead anyway." Rukia pointed out as they walked casually.

"He's just excited. He's been counting down the days until the enrollment period." Ichigo pointed out. Over the passed decades Ichigo became quite familiar with the practices in Soul Society and forty years prior he had been promoted to the rank of captain when he bested Hisagi in battle. Though even losing his captaincy to Ichigo, the two men still remained as close friends.

After a few weeks classes officially began, and Yuichi knew that he was going to have to work hard to accomplish his goals. Alright I'm definitely going to be the top student!" He exclaimed before two more students joined up with him.

"Hey Yuichi, how've you been?" One of the girls asked with a beaming smile as she brushed her brown hair out of her face.

"Oh, Mayu! What are you doing way over here? Isn't your house on the other side of the academy?" Yuichi asked as he met with the girl's jade colored eyes.

"Hey, is that any way to greet your best friend?" Mayu asked as she glared at Yuichi.

"Mayu you're always so hyper, and that's why you aren't Yuichi's best friend." The other girl stated as she narrowed amber colored eyes on Mayu.

"Mayu, Ayame, quit fighting. Who cares who the best is, I mean you're both pretty good friends of mine, why can't you be satisfied with that?" Yuichi asked as he glanced between both girls.

"Yuichi, you don't need to be considerate of that beast." Ayame stated as her shining silver hair caught a gentle breeze flowing into Mayu's face.

"Why can't you do something about that hair before I burn it off with kido?" Mayu shouted as she challenged Ayame.

"Why can't you two stop bickering?" Yuichi asked in exasperation. "They're lucky maturity is not a deciding factor in the admissions tests." He thought. "Come on you two, you'll need to quit fighting, for the next couple of years the academy will be like a second home, and you don't want to embarrass your parents do you?" He asked before running on ahead.

"Hey, wait for me!" Both girls called out in unison as they raced to catch up to Yuichi.

Chapter 5 end - So how was that, I know it's been quite a while, and to be honest I wrote this chapter long before I posted it, but my old computer was too slow to upload without freezing so… Anyway I really struggled to get through this chapter, and unfortunately I know I was pretty random with how I directed the story, but I needed to explain a few things from the sequel. Anyway, as I'm typing this my internet is down, so hopefully by the time I upload I'll be uploading quite a bit. Also next chapter I will be refocusing the story attention on Ichigo's friends as of a few days after Ichigo was taken back to Soul Society.

(Shunpo to… Okay maybe just this once I'll use Sonido.)

Disclaimer: I do not own bleach, if I did… Sorry I don't have anything funny this time… All rights to Tite Kubo.


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